England vs Ireland: Joe Denly is back in business and eager to prove his worth

Joe Denly could have been forgiven for retreating into his shell after being jettisoned from England’s World Cup squad after being picked in the original party of 15.

Instead he has come out all guns blazing and now looks set for a place in England’s starting line-up against Ireland at Lords, as well as a shot at Australia in the Ashes that follow.

Denly has scored over 500 runs at an average of 56 since falling out of favour with England’s one-day side, a tally that includes two scores of over 150.

That’s the kind of form that has seen Denly propel himself into England’s Ashes plans, with the number three slot he occupied in the final Test of the West Indies tour in the winter his most likely posting.

All of which represents something of a turnaround in fortunes for a player whose World Cup dreams were dashed just two months ago.

“Getting left out of that World Cup squad allowed me to go back to Kent and get some games under my belt,” he says.

“It has been a good few weeks, that’s for sure. I’ve been able to capitalise on a few good starts but I’ve felt pretty good for the past two or three years, really.

“My form has been pretty consistent for Kent. I understand my own game a lot more and I think I have that belief now – I’m enjoying my cricket and enjoying my batting.”

Before Australia, though, he’s preparing for what could effectively be viewed as a trial match for some of England’s Ashes hopefuls against Ireland at Lords – a ground Denly knows well from his time at Middlesex.

Denly already has two caps under his belt in the longest format, having made an overdue debut against West Indies in the second Test in Antigua in January. But despite scoring 69 on his last visit to the Test crease in the Caribbean, Denly has hardly made the number three position his own.

That said, he is going into this week’s match intent on ensuring that he grabs this further opportunity with both hands – after readily admitting that he thought his chance of playing in an Ashes series had long since disappeared.

“This Ireland Test match has come round at a great time and it’s a good opportunity for a few of the boys to get back into red ball cricket, get some overs under their belts and some runs on the board,” he says. “All before what should be an amazing series against the Aussies.

“It’s a Test match at the end of the day and every Test you play for England, you could say, is like a trial. Unless you’re a Jimmy Anderson or a Joe Root, then the England Test team is not as secure in terms of selection as the white ball team.

“There will be a few guys looking at that Ireland Test match as a great opportunity to go out and perform and put their hands up for that Ashes series.

“Without a doubt, there have been times when I thought that an Ashes series had passed me by. I had been over to Australia in my early-20s and played cricket while the Ashes was going on out there. I thought then that it would be an amazing thing to be a part of and an absolute dream to play in. I’ve obviously followed every Ashes series since but never been involved.

“So to be in the mix to play a role in this one is incredibly exciting.”

Denly’s spell in Grade Cricket in 2006/07 – played against a backdrop of a 5-0 Ashes humbling by an Australian side hell-bent on revenge following their 2005 series defeat – gained him a significant reputation Down Under.

His spell with Sydney included a double century against Northern District – the kind of knock that makes people sit up and take notice.

Sadly for Denly, he spent most of the next decade being largely ignored as his form fell away. A spell with Middlesex did little to improve his fortunes but after moving back to Kent in 2015, he has re-established himself as one of English cricket’s most consistent run-scorers.

A successful Test against Ireland and an Ashes place should be in the bag, handing Denly the chance to finally make the grade against Australia.