Kent opener Denly earns England call-up

KENT’SJoe Denly (pictured) has been named in the 15-man England squads for the forthcoming NatWest Series of One Day Internationals and International Twenty20 matches against Australia, The ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa and a 14-man squad for next week“s One-Day International against Ireland in Belfast.

Andrew Strauss will captain the side in the seven-match NatWest Series against Australia and in The ICC Champions Trophy with Paul Collingwood leading England against Ireland and in The NatWest International Twenty20 matches against Australia.

The Kent opener is the only uncapped player in the squads while Jonathan Trott who played in two NatWest International Twenty20 matches against West Indies in 2007 replaces Strauss in the squads for The NatWest International Twenty20 fixtures.

ECB National Selector Geoff Miller said: “We have kept faith with the bulk of the squad which was successful in the NatWest Series against West Indies earlier this summer and also included two players, Luke Wright and Adil Rashid, who were part of our squad for the ICC World T20.

“Joe Denly has impressed the selectors for a while with some excellent performances in One-Day cricket and with Kevin Pietersen unavailable through injury, this is an excellent opportunity for Joe to step up to the next level and show what he is capable of.

“Andrew Strauss has led the side extremely well in both forms of cricket this summer, but the selectors felt it would be beneficial for him to have a short break from international cricket following the conclusion of the npower Ashes Test series and Paul Collingwood will lead the side in Ireland and in The NatWest International Twenty20s. "

The call-up is the perfect recognition for Denly, who averaged 51.85 in the Friends Provident Trophy this season. He said: "I’m pretty happy to be in the revised squad. When the 30-man group was initially announced, I knew it would be tough for me because there were some quality players in there but I’ve kept performing for Kent and have now been given my chance by England.

"It is a dream come true for me. As a youngster, I dreamt about representing Kent and now I have the honour of hopefully playing for my country. I’ve always had ambitions of playing for England; whether it be at one-day or Test match level. I feel very proud and hope to forge a long international career.

"I won’t look to change too much. I’m confident that I’ve got the game to step up to the next level and I cannot wait to represent England. I’ve played for the Lions but stepping up into the main side is great for me. I did pretty well against the Aussies for the Lions and will hope to carry that on for the rest of the summer.

"Hopefully I will get a go in a few of the one-dayers and Twenty20 matches and you never know where that will lead. If I continue my form in the LV County Championship then hopefully they will consider me, for Test match cricket too, although I realise that could be a while off as there are a few players ahead of me. I just need to keep performing for Kent and now hopefully for England too. I cannot wait to link-up with the group."

England One Day squad for The NatWest Series against Australia and The ICC Champions Trophy
Andrew Strauss (captain) – Middlesex
James Anderson – Lancashire
Ravi Bopara – Essex
Tim Bresnan – Yorkshire
Stuart Broad – Nottinghamshire
Paul Collingwood – Durham
Joe Denly – Kent
Andrew Flintoff – Lancashire
Eoin Morgan – Middlesex
Matt Prior – Sussex
Adil Rashid – Yorkshire
Owais Shah – Middlesex
Ryan Sidebottom – Nottinghamshire
Graeme Swann – Nottinghamshire
Luke Wright – Sussex

England squad for One-Day International v Ireland in Belfast on Thursday, August 27
Paul Collingwood (captain) – Durham
James Anderson – Lancashire
Ravi Bopara – Essex
Tim Bresnan – Yorkshire
Stuart Broad – Nottinghamshire
Joe Denly – Kent
Andrew Flintoff – Lancashire
Eoin Morgan – Middlesex
Matt Prior – Sussex
Adil Rashid – Yorkshire
Owais Shah – Middlesex
Ryan Sidebottom – Nottinghamshire
Graeme Swann – Nottinghamshire
Luke Wright – Sussex

England squad for The NatWest T20 Internationals v Australia at Old Trafford on Sunday, August 30 and Tuesday, September 1
Paul Collingwood (captain) – Durham
James Anderson – Lancashire
Ravi Bopara – Essex
Tim Bresnan – Yorkshire
Stuart Broad – Nottinghamshire
Joe Denly – Kent
Andrew Flintoff – Lancashire
Eoin Morgan – Middlesex
Matt Prior – Sussex
Adil Rashid – Yorkshire
Owais Shah – Middlesex
Ryan Sidebottom – Nottinghamshire
Graeme Swann – Nottinghamshire
Jonathan Trott – Warwickshire
Luke Wright – Sussex

Picture of Joe Denly and Adil Rashid:Getty Images