PCA Award nominee eager to star with bat and ball in Sri Lanka
Wednesday 3 October 2018 09:44, UK
Kent batsman Joe Denly is hoping to add gloss to a successful summer by being named PCA Players' Player of the Year and making his England Test debut in Sri Lanka.
The 32-year-old is up for the main piece of silverware at the end-of-season awards at The Roundhouse in London on Thursday night, alongside team-mate Matt Henry and Surrey duo Rory Burns and Rikki Clarke.
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Denly will then jet off for England's red-ball tour of Sri Lanka later this month, where he will be aiming to don Test whites for the first time, getting on for nine years after he made the last of his 14 limited-overs appearances for his country.
The Kent star scored three hundreds and 828 runs in 2018, as well as claiming 20 wickets with his ever-improving leg-spin, to help his county earn promotion to Specsavers County Championship Division One and catch the eye of the England selectors.
We spoke to Denly to discuss a stellar year at domestic level, in which Kent also reached the final of the Royal London One-Day Cup and the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast, and what options he will offer Joe Root's side in the subcontinent…
How does it feel to be nominated for the PCA Players' Player of the Year Award?
JOE DENLY: You have good seasons and you are rewarded but I think this one is extra special. It is voted for by your fellow players and is an amazing recognition of your ability and what you've achieved. It's a huge honour just to be in the top four. What Rory Burns has achieved in Division One cricket, scoring over 1,300 runs, is a phenomenal effort. He's rightly up for the award and has earned England recognition off the back of that.
You are also in the England squad to tour Sri Lanka - if someone had said that to you at the start of the year would you have believed them?
JD: Probably not, no! It's very exciting and has topped off a very enjoyable year. It was brilliant to get the news and I can't wait to get going. Nothing is set in stone with regards to where I bat or if I am even in the side, but I think there is potential for me to bat anywhere in the order.
Joe Root is obviously going to bat at No 4 but the opening spots and No 3 don't appear to be nailed down. The good thing for me is that I have batted in all positions from No 1 down to No 5. Whatever spot I get I will be very excited and keen to make it my own.
What do you think the selectors have seen in you?
JD: A bit of consistency. It's been a tough year for batsmen in red-ball cricket. I'm never one to make excuses but this year it has been difficult with some of the wickets we have played on. I've been pretty consistent over the last couple of years really, while I now have the added string to my bow of bowling leg-spin, which has come on quite a bit this year and is something I enjoy. I want to contribute with bat and ball in Sri Lanka.
How have you evolved as a player and person since you played white-ball cricket for England in 2009 and 2010?
JD: I am far more experienced and a have lot more understanding of my game and what works for me. I think I deal with the mental side of cricket a lot better than I used to. I don't think back then I understood all that comes with being an international cricketer, whereas now I feel very confident going back in and ready to deal with anything chucked at me.
Travelling around and playing in various T20 competitions has helped that, while, playing in the Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League, you are obviously tested against quality spin bowling. I'd like to think I have a pretty decent game against spin and I know that is going to be the challenge out in Sri Lanka.
You've bowled spin pretty well this year, with more than 50 wickets across the competitions. Who decided you should bowl more?
JD: I have always tried to get myself on for a bowl, particularly in white-ball cricket. I think it helped that Sam Billings was at the IPL at the start of the year so I was captain and could give myself a few overs. I have enjoyed the added responsibility of bowling more overs.
That has stemmed from playing overseas, being around top-quality spinners and watching how they go about things. I have been able to improve and I am very confident with my bowling now. As a leg-spinner, you do tend to pick up wickets and if you can land your leg-spinner reasonably well and put it on a spot over and over again, you are going to cause trouble.
It looks like Rob Key missed a trick by not bowling you in all his years as captain!
JD: Absolutely. I could have been called an all-rounder a few years ago and not just now. I think my bowling has improved a lot in the last 12-18 months but had Keysy given me an opportunity, it might have happened quicker!
Keysy must be ecstatic with Kent's season - promoted in the Championship, plus deep runs in the white-ball competitions. What were the ambitions at the start of the summer?
JD: Leading into every season you do your media commitments and you say you want to be competitive in all forms and give the same old answers. This year, though, we have been able to do that. Getting into Division One is always a goal when you are in Division Two so to have achieved that is very special for the club and everyone involved. With the white-ball success as well, it has been a very exciting season. There are exciting times ahead, too.
With Darren Stevens still going strong at the age of 42 and youngsters like Zak Crawley coming to the fore, does it feel like you have a perfect blend at the moment?
JD: Yeah, we've got a really good mix. Stevo brings the average age up a little bit but we have some talented young players as well, including Zak, who is very exciting. He probably didn't start the year as well as he would have liked but to be given the opportunity at the top of the order at the back-end of the season and to take it the way he did, is a real positive, not only for Kent cricket but for England as well.
How does the axis work between coach Matt Walker and his assistant Allan Donald?
JD: They are two very positive people. Allan came in this year and naturally generates respect for what he has done in the game. It's been fantastic to have him around - he is always talking about creating a Test-match intensity and the boys have taken to that really well.
Anyone who knows Walks [Walker] knows he is a top, top man. He's probably mates with everyone on the county scene! Him and Allan work well together. If we under-perform they let us know and people listen but, at the same time, they are very forthcoming in their praise. I know they are delighted with our season.
Kent's recruitment in the off-season really paid off. You lost Sam Northeast and Matt Coles but Heino Kuhn and Matt Henry have proved fantastic signings, haven't they?
JD: I think people probably were a little bit worried when we lost two very good players in Sam and Matt, that's a lot of runs and a lot of wickets to replace. But [Kent CEO] Ben Green and [Director of Cricket] Paul Downton did a superb job in bringing players in. You always want to sign quality and be rewarded with performances on the field and luckily Matt Henry, Heino Kuhn and Harry Podmore, to be honest, did really well.
Matt took 75 wickets in just 11 first-class games and Heino scored four hundreds in the One-Day Cup, which showed what good players they are. But they also brought lots off the field. Matt, Heino and Harry are three great men and really added to the team spirit and culture.
Join us for live coverage of the NatWest PCA Awards on Thursday, October 4 across Sky Sports' digital platforms.
