Joe Denly pays price for lean run of formRoot: ‘It’s a very difficult decision but we’ve gone a different way’England have dropped Joe Denly, as expected, for the second Test against West Indies starting on Thursday. The captain, Joe Root, returns at Old Trafford following the arrival of his second child, replacing the 34-year-old Kent batsman.
An average of 29.53 after 15 Tests, with no centuries, left Denley vulnerable and a confident knock of 76 from his county team-mate Zak Crawley effectively sealed his fate during the four-wicket defeat at the Ageas Bowl.