Kent Confirm Cohen and Evison Exits After Promotion Season

Kent will say goodbye to Mikey Cohen and Joey Evison at the end of the 2026 season.

The club confirmed both departures on 28 September, just as the county season closed BBC Sport. It draws a line under two very different spells in Canterbury. One was brief. The other is heading to a rival.

Evison, 24, already knows his next address. His move to Sussex for 2027 was announced in July. He did not wait to get started, joining Sussex for the remaining five matches of this year's County Championship campaign. The County Championship is England's four-day, first-class league, the format where matches breathe slowly and pressure builds session by session.

He walked into a solid side. Sussex finished third in Division One this season. They did that despite a 12-point deduction for financial issues, a punishment that can wreck a season in a table decided on fine margins. Third place, with points taken away, reflects a consistent summer.

Cohen's Kent chapter was short and stop-start. The 28-year-old joined before the 2024 season after signing as a domestic player. Born in South Africa, the French bowler qualified as a homegrown player through residency, which meant he did not take up an overseas slot. He is a left-arm pacer, a fast bowler who delivers with his left arm and often angles the ball across right-handed batters.

His opportunities were limited. He took 13 wickets in 11 appearances across all formats BBC Sport. Kent had extended his deal by a further year in January, but he could not force a regular place in a promotion-chasing squad.

The timing adds an edge to both exits. Kent finished second in Division Two and will play in the top flight next season. Promotion was the target. They sealed it. That means Kent and Sussex will be Division One rivals in 2027, with Evison now on the south coast.

There will be another familiar face at Hove. Matt Walker, the former Kent head coach, will take over at Sussex from Paul Farbrace in 2027. Evison will link up again with a coach who knows his game well.

For fans, this means next summer already has its storylines. Evison in Sussex colours against the club where he made his name. Kent testing a promoted attack without Cohen and Evison. No extra hype is needed when the fixture list does the talking.