Kent team director Paul Farbrace is backing opener Joe Denly to win his England place back
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By Andrew Gidley
Paul Farbrace believes that Joe
Denly has what it takes to win back his England spot.
The Kent opening batsman, 24 later this month, has dropped
behind Jonathan Trott, England stand-in captain Alastair Cook and
now newly-qualified South African-born Somerset wicket-keeper Craig
Kieswetter in the pecking order.
Denly (pictured) was out for one
and five in the two Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan in
Dubai last month, and sat out both warm-up games in Bangladesh,
with Cook partnered first by Kieswetter and then out-of-form Kevin
Pietersen.
Kent team director Farbrace said:
"Joe knows he hasn’t got enough runs, but I am sure he will come
again. It’s a blow and a setback for him to lose his spot, but he
is very strong-willed and has the character to know exactly what
has to be done.
"He has certainly shown he can play
at that level, and hasn’t looked out of his depth.
"He has good people around him, his
dad Nick, David Fulton, and people like Rob Key, Martin van
Jaarsveld and Geraint Jones, who have all been there and know
exactly what you have to do.
"Playing for your country is a
by-product of doing well at county level. He will come back, get
stuck in and work hard. He is too good a talent not to play for
England again."
Denly and team-mate James Tredwell,
who made his one-day debut against Bangladesh on Tuesday, have both
been named in England’s provisional 30-strong squad for the World
Twenty20 in the Caribbean in May. The squad will be whittled down
to 15 at the end of this month.
Farbrace also believed Darren
Stevens had a good case to be included having been one of Kent’s
most consistent performers in the shortest form of the game, but
the 33-year old all-rounder missed out.
Former England fast bowler Geoff
Arnold will again be part of Kent’s back-room team this summer. The
former Surrey paceman has previously worked for Sussex and
Essex.
Farbrace said: "Geoff will be with
us for 100 days a year, but it will probably be much more than
that.
"His passion for cricket and
working with bowlers is huge, and his experience is
invaluable."
Arnold is heading to Antigua to
help Robbie Joseph continue his rehabilitation from a shoulder
operation. Amjad Khan has been in Melbourne, with former Kent
director of cricket Ian Brayshaw, Simon Cook is going to Hong Kong
for three and a half weeks’ competitive cricket.
Picture: Barry
Goodwin
Thursday, March 04 2010
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