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.