Joe Denly agonisingly fell six runs short of his maiden Test hundred on Saturday.

The Kent batsman was dismissed for 94 at The Oval against Australia in England's second innings.

Having been dropped without score the previous evening, Denly made the Aussies pay in style as he worked his way to a career-best score.

It was an innings that deserved to be rewarded with his first Test match century as he showed great patience and determination.

Denly had a let-off when Australia failed to review a lbw call when Denly was on 54. Had they done so, he would have been out on review.

The Kent man, in his benefit year, went on to beat his previous best Test score of 69 against the West Indies at the start of the year.

It marked a tremendous couple of days for Denly, after wife Stacy gave birth to their second child earlier in the match.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Denly said: "She is very well. Mother and baby are both doing very well and returned home this afternoon."

He added: "Against this attack it is always a battle. You have to work hard for every run. I am naturally disappointed not to get to the milestone but we are in a great position going into day four and that is the most important thing.

"I haven't done a great deal of opening in the last few years. I am still learning and still improving. You don’t get as many scoring opportunities, you have to be tight in defence and leave well.

"(The disappointment of the series) is getting a few starts and finding ways to get out. If I play more Test cricket, and keep learning and improving then those big scores will come."

The half-century was Denly's third of the series, and his fourth in Test matches. He scored 312 runs in the Ashes this summer at an average of 31.20.

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