Matt Coles wants to help Kent stay in contention at the top of the LV=County Championship Division 2 table against leaders Derbyshire this week before joining up with the England Lions squad.

The 22-year-old seamer (pictured) and spinner James Tredwell have been named in a 13-man squad for two games against Australia A at Old Trafford, meaning the pair will miss the Championship matches against Essex and Gloucestershire and the Clydesdale Bank 40 games with Derbyshire and Warwickshire.

The Kent squad travelled north from Southampton on Monday night, consumed by a mixture of disappointment and frustration, after the weather and a last-wicket stand between opener Jimmy Adams and No.11 Danny Briggs stopped them claiming a third championship win of the summer.

The 11 points from the game keeps Kent fourth but only three points behind Yorkshire, with a game in hand, emphasising the importance of the trip to Derby, with the home side 14 points ahead of the rest going into the game at the Racecourse Ground.

Coles said: “We dropped a tough chance off Briggs when he was nought but did everything we could to win the game in the final hour.

“Everyone worked so hard in trying to get us over the line and we played well over the four days.

“The rain on day three didn’t help us and stopped us getting an extra 15 overs or so at them. We will take a lot of positives out of the match ahead of the big game against Derby and will look to come out on top.”

It’s Coles’ second Lions call-up of the summer after he took 4-76 in the 10-wicket win over the West Indies at Northampton in May.