‘I got a bit bogged down and I wasn’t able to capitalise on some good starts’: England batsman Joe Denly admits failure to score ‘big hundreds’ cost him his Test place
- The 34-year-old batsman averaged 29 in 15 appearances for England
- Denly repeatedly reached double figures, but never scored a Test hundred
- He was dropped after the series opener against West Indies last month
Joe Denly has admitted he ‘got bogged down’ during a Test career that almost certainly came to an end when he was dropped after the series opener against West Indies last month.
The 34-year-old Denly, who averaged 29 in 15 appearances, repeatedly reached double figures, but never scored a hundred – though he was named on Tuesday in England’s 14-man squad for the three-match Twnty20 series against Pakistan.
‘It’s always disappointing to get dropped and lose your place, so of course it hurts,’ he told the ECB reporters’ network
Joe Denly repeatedly reached double figures, but never scored a hundred for England
‘Both Chris Silverwood and Joe Root were very clear about scoring big first-innings runs, and they weren’t worried about how you did it.
‘A few times I got a little bit bogged down I guess and, even though I felt comfortable at the crease, I just wasn’t able to capitalise on some good starts and get the big hundreds that would have cemented my place at No 3.
‘If anything, I went away from my usual balance of attacking and defending and keeping busy at the crease, which is something I’ve always tried to be. I never felt forced to play a different way. It’s just frustrating and disappointing that I didn’t score those big ones.’
The 34-year-old batsman was dropped after the series opener against West Indies last month