Kent coach Jimmy Adams reveals pre-season talks with paceman Matt Coles about disciplinary issues
by Alex Hoad
Kent coach Jimmy Adams has backed
seamer Matt Coles to 'learn the lessons' from the disciplinary
troubles which saw him sent home from the England Lions tour to
Australia last month.
The 22-year-old (pictured) returned
home along with Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes after repeated
'unprofessional conduct' Down Under, but Adams said after talks
with Coles at the start of pre-season training back in Canterbury
that he is confident there will be no repeat episodes.
Adams admitted: "Everyone was a bit disappointed and we will
have to take lessons from that. He and I have discussed it and in
one sense, the incident is past but, of course, we do not want a
repeat.
"I have told him that and he has assured us that there won’t be
a repeat. He’s a good lad and I’m sure he’ll learn the lessons from
it."
Adams said he had spent the winter
monitoring the fortunes of Kent’s stars around the world and said:
"It’s part of a learning process for a lot of them, putting them
into situations they might not have faced before.
"While in some ways you want
batsmen to get hundreds and bowlers to get five-fers, in some ways
you’d rather they struggled and learned from experience at an early
age."
The squad were set to be reunited
at the St Lawrence Ground on Thursday ahead of a period of
fitness testing and evaluation from Adams himself.
He said: "The important thing is to
make sure they are all able to function in pre-season. This week is
about assessing them, not only physically but mentally too. I want
to sit and talk with them, find out how they have been and how they
are feeling.
"The key thing is preparation. We
hope this will be the start of a long and successful season for us
and we want to ensure that everyone is properly prepared."
Do you think Coles will
learn from his England Lions experience? Have your say
below.
06/03/13
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