by Alex Hoad

Geraint Jones has been working on a new, more swashbuckling style as he bids to catch the eye of the England selectors by entertaining Kent fans in the short forms of the game this summer.

Fresh from a break from the game in Australia over the winter, Jones (pictured) hopes to hit the ground running after last season’s impressive performances which saw him named Kent’s player-of-the-year.

"I don’t want to make last year a one-off," said the 33-year-old. "I want some consistency in scoring runs and to make an impact in Twenty20 – that’s the future of the game.

"I want to produce some important and some entertaining innings and I have been focusing on that over the winter."

Jones scored more than 1,300 runs at an average of more than 50 last season but said: "I wasn’t out to prove a point to the England selectors or anything like that. I wanted to make sure I enjoyed it.

"Enjoying it was a big factor in my success and it was definitely my most enjoyable season."

Jones said success for Kent in Twenty20 was ‘high on the agenda again’ but sounded caution over a championship title challenge.

He said: "Realistically, to maintain our position in Division 1 would be a good achievement.

"It’s going to be tough to challenge for the title but if we can get off to a good start and do well against teams like Durham and Lancashire, who are usually up there challenging, there’s no reason we can’t have a belief of winning the title."

Jones also revealed he would "definitely love to have another go for England" but admitted: "I think I’m just as far away as ever, to be honest."

Don’t miss our eight-page Kent County Cricket Club special supplement in this week’s Kent Messenger, Kentish Gazette, Kentish Express and Medway Messenger.