Matt Coles says he is better with the bat than his average suggests and wants to prove it.

More than six years after making his First-Class bow for Kent, the 24-year-old all-rounder has a Championship century to his name but Tuesday’s fine 66 against Gloucester at Bristol was just his eighth half-century in First-Class cricket.

Coles averaged less than 19 in 100 First-Class innings before the game and had mustered just 106 runs combined in nine previous appearances in the middle this season.

He, however, hopes this week’s knock is a sign of things to come and admitted: “My average is not ideal but it is what it is. I know I can and should do a lot better than that and hopefully I can build from this innings.”

Coles said it was nice to put his name in the Kent record books with the 119-run eighth-wicket stand with Calum Haggett.

He added: “When I went out there, I just thought ‘What can I do myself to get us out of the rut?’ I said to Calum to try and be positive and put the bad balls away for four if we

could.”

Coles took 20 wickets in the opening four Championship games and a further 3-49 in the first innings at Bristol to sit third among the leading wicket- takers in Division 2 despite not having taken a five-wicket haul this term.

He said: “It would be nice to get some bigger hauls, too but it shows that chipping away does get you somewhere.”