Matt Coles

Matt Coles has been in the news for the right as well as wrong reasons since making his county debut for Kent in 2009. He is a hard-hitting all-rounder who has gained quite a reputation for himself in white ball cricket. The disciplinary issues has always been a problem for Coles and that has meant he has been forced to change his counties more often than he would have liked it to.

Coles started his career at Kent and moved to Hampshire because Kent then were a part of division two in county Championship. And Coles thought that could hamper his chances of getting into the England team. Ironically, in his second season at Hampshire he played a vital role in getting them promoted to the first division. His struggle in Hampshire wasn't on the field but off the field, he missed being away from his friends and family and ultimately moved back to Kent.

His return to Kent was an exceptional one, he picked up 67 wickets in his comeback season at an average of 23.49. In that season, Coles played one of the most destructive knocks ever played in the white ball history of England domestic cricket. Chasing 274 in the Quarter final, Kent were tottering at 101/7 then Coles arrived and hit a ton in a blink of an eye. He reached the landmark in just 43 balls but failed to steer his team to victory.

In the next season his career took another decline as he was excluded from the Kent side due to disciplinary reasons. ECB banned him for throwing the ball at an opponent. In 2018 season, Kent gave him a contract to revamp his image and thus far has been decent with his third county.

He posses the potential to represent England but for that to happen Coles need to avoid any unnecessary controversy and become a more disciplined individual.

By- Varun Dixit