Joe Denly

Joe Denly is an attractive opening batsman, who got his maiden international call up in 2009 after a string of consistent performances for Kent and England Lions. However, Denly failed to adjust to the tempo of international cricket. He played just 9 ODIs and 5 T20Is before being dropped by the national selectors, as he failed to produce any performance of note despite abundant opportunities.

Denly, now over 30 years of age, seemed like he was done with international cricket, but through performances in the domestic circuit and several T20 leagues around the world, he was once again selected after almost a decade in the fringes, for the T20I series against Sri Lanka in late 2018. Now a trustworthy leg-spin bowler, Denly has added a dimension to his game to add a utility in the selectors' checklist. On his comeback game, he scored a solid 20 before recording unexpected figures of 4-0-19-4, including the openers, after being given the responsibility to open the bowling.

Denly finally got his hands on the England Test cap in 2019, at the age of 32. However, after being asked to open on grassy surfaces, he struggled to make much of an impact, scoring 112 runs across 4 innings at a commendable average of 28, given the conditions. However, as it turns out, the world doesn't have too much time for conditions, and makes do with numbers, and if there is to be a second coming for Denly, he needs to string together better performances more consistently.

Written by Rishi Roy