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Joe Denly hoping to return to Bangladesh Premier League in 2018

Joe Denly is hoping to return to the subcontinent next winter to play in the Bangladesh Premier League after reaching the final of the 2017 competition earlier this month.

Denly was an overseas player for Dhaka Dynamites in a team that included Kieron Pollard and Shahid Afridi.

The 31-year-old Kent Cricket opener was in Bangladesh for six weeks playing six matches for his team with an average of 30.8.

He is hoping to return for the 2018 competition with Dhaka and has already been in talks with the owners of the team.

Joe Denly. Picture: Andy Jones.
Joe Denly. Picture: Andy Jones.

Denly said: “I had some really positive chats with the owners and coaches, who are keen for me to go back and play for them again. I would love to go back again.

“It’s a great competition and it’s always improving and you only have to look at some of the names it attracts worldwide. Hopefully we can get that sorted in a month or two.”

Denly, who scored two hundreds in Kent’s NatWest T20 Blast campaign in 2017, had to wait for his chance to get into the Dhaka side.

When he did get the opportunity he hit the ground running with scores of 44, 49 and 53 in his first three matches.

He said: “I knew going into the tournament I was going into a franchise with some pretty big names and a lot of overseas players so I knew I might not get the nod straight away.

“It was about being patient and doing the right things in the nets. Luckily I was able to get a chance and things worked out pretty well in the end but it was a shame we couldn’t go on and win.

“I don’t think I got to my fluent best I suppose that comes with not playing all the games and training quite a lot in the nets.”

His side got to the final of the competition but lost out to Rangpur Riders thanks to Chris Gayle scoring 146 off 69 balls. Denly was out for 0 as his side lost by 57 runs.

He said: “It was an electric atmosphere. It felt like there was 100,000 people there. You couldn’t hear yourself think. The final itself was the Chris Gayle show.”

He also believes this experience will help his game and improve him as a player as he goes into the 2018 county season.

He added: “It was good playing against spin bowling and enhancing my game there. I was playing with some pretty good players, looking at the way they strike the ball and trying to put that into my game and trying to hit as many sixes as I can.”

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