PAKISTAN great Wasim Akram believes Hampshire's season can be kick-started by Sunday's 99-run beating of Somerset.
Akram and the Hampshire squad are still looking for their first win in the county championship, but will have to wait until a week today to rectify that when they play Durham at the Rose Bowl. In the meantime they will be hoping to chalk-up their third victory in the one-day National cricket League against an in-form Scotland on Sunday.
Indian batsman Rahul Dravid is expected to make his debut for the Scotland Saltires against Hampshire in Edinburgh, but Akram believes his new team can now put a run of results together.
He said: "We had a good day on Sunday. Overall, we started off quite slowly because of the weather, but we have won two out of three one-day games so we are getting there.
"You can't do anything about the weather, it is just one of those things. Hopefully we will get going now and it will be a great season for us.
"We are getting into a groove. I think people want trophies in the end, but you need a good start and I think we are getting into the right direction.
"We have a good side, we just need a bit of luck as a team and to get a few breaks."
Akram was also full of praise for Hampshire's man-of-the-moment Derek Kenway. The former England Academy batsman has been in awesome form in the past week, scoring 94 in the four-day defeat against Somerset last Friday at The Rose Bowl before following that up with 115 against Somerset in the National Cricket League.
It was the highest score by a Hampshire batsman in one-day league cricket for six years and the 24-year-old's first century for the county in 22 months.
Akram said: "I'm glad for Derek Kenway - I think he is a top player. He didn't start very well, but he has worked hard and it is good for him and Hampshire that he is in form.
"I'm settling in very well with the boys, it's like I have been playing with them for a long time and I'm really enjoying myself."
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