SOMERSET'S Twenty20 captain, Jim Allenby is targetting a home quarter-final as his side prepare to kick-off their NatWest T20 Blast campaign against Kent on Friday evening.

Somerset will be without Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardene for the competition opener but will be able to call upon the white-ball expertise of Yasir Arafat, who is set to feature under the lights at Canterbury.

Allenby said: “We have been building up nicely for it with some second XI T20 games and the guys have been trying to get some practice in between championship cricket.

"Everyone is really excited to get that buzz back and the crowds back at the ground on a Friday night again.

“Like ourselves, Kent have got a good side and they get good support for their T20s, so it’s a good place to start the competition and it will be a good challenge for us.

"If we don’t make the quarter finals this year I will certainly be very disappointed.

"Once you get there it can be the luck of the draw but as far as I'm concerned, a home quarter final is the target and the side that has been put together - not just the guys who are coming in - but the players we have already got have been very high quality players over a long period of time in this tournament.

"(Yasir Arafat) has played a couple of T20s in the seconds this week and by all reports is looking sharp again, so its great to have someone of his experience and quality in the side.

"It's not just his skills and know how, but the messages that he can share with me and the rest of the bowlers, so its great to have another world class player joining us."

The arrival of Gayle and Jayawardene is likely to cause some selection headaches for director of cricket, Matt Maynard, but Allenby insists it is a nice problem to be facing.

“Looking at our side for Friday, it is already looking strong so having to replace two guys with world class players is fantastic, but is going to be tough," he said.

“It’s great to have competition for places and everybody is keen to get in the side because they know we have got a good chance this year, so it’s a problem that Matt Maynard and I will have, but the boys cant wait to have Mahela and Chris join us.

“Mahela has already been at the ground and had a few nets, which shows the sort of standards and we are lucky to have a huge amount of talent around us in the team."

Following Friday’s game, Somerset head to Lord’s to face Middlesex in the County Championship, starting on Sunday.

When the County Gazette went to press, Somerset's game against Yorkshire looked to be heading towards another draw on a rain affected fourth day.