Denly keen to seize trophy chance

Joe Denly has been in fine form for Kent at the top of the order so far this season

Joe Denly is hoping to use tomorrow’s Friends Provident Trophy final against Essex at Lord’s to seal England selection and avoid winter complications.

Kent batsman Denly, 22, forms the best home-grown opening partnership in domestic cricket along with his county captain Robert Key and both men are in contention for places when England announce their Test and Lions tour squads next month.

For the younger of the talented duo, selection will be a natural progression following two solid seasons at Canterbury.

But it will also help former Charlton youth team footballer Denly avoid tricky diplomatic negotiations on a return to Australian grade cricket.

“If I don’t get picked I will look to go away somewhere, maybe Australia but I have to get rid of a ban to do that,” Denly explained.

“I mucked up my visa last time I was out there so I’ve got a three-year ban.

“My six months came to an end, I turned up at the airport and they took me to a room where they gave me a bit of a lecture.”

Denly spent two off-seasons in Sydney, where he used the faster tracks to improve his play against the short stuff, a perceived weakness upon his elevation to the Kent first team.

According to Key - whose last England appearance came in South Africa three-and-a-half years ago - Denly also has the kind of temperament suited to the step up.

“There’s not a great deal you need to say to Joe,” Key said.

“He’s still a young bloke and has got a lot of time to come.

“Generally in this game, if you’re scoring runs then you’re going to get what you deserve and I think he’s probably aware of that more than anybody.

“One of the good things about him is that he’s pretty honest with himself when he’s not scoring runs and when he’s not doing as well.

“There’s a lot of us that go out there from senior guys to young players who always think the world is against them, but Joe doesn’t do that and gets on with it and that’s refreshing.

“There is a lot of rubbish spoken by a lot of people at times in a cricket dressing room about how hard done by they are.”

Rob Key will hope a good knock in Saturday's final can book him a place in England's winter tour party

Key, a contemporary of Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison during his England age group days, has kept himself in the frame for an international recall with another proficient summer.

He has made such an impression as a county leader, in fact, that he was an outside bet to take over when Michael Vaughan quit the England captaincy a fortnight ago.

“It’s quite nice, especially when Sir Ian Botham and people like that are touting your name for England captain,” Key said.

“It’s pretty amazing when that sort of thing happens.

“There’s not that many people who get talked about as a potential England captain when they aren’t even in the side.

“It’s something I will be pretty proud about at the end of my career even if I don’t ever play for England again.

“It’s been an interesting few weeks, but sometimes in the county season it’s not how you start but how you finish.

“That’s when the tours are announced and a good end for either myself or Joe could do us the world of good.

“England Lions are going to be in India so if you’re hitting a few balls, nothing is too far away for a short flight.

“What will be, will be but I imagine I’ve got a chance.

“One of the things we’ve heard said has been Key and Denly to open the batting for England, which we’d obviously quite enjoy.

“It would make both our lives a little bit easier playing cricket with the bloke you bat with every day in every form of the game.

“That would be plan A and plan B would be that I’d get in and Joe doesn’t!”

Denly added: “It’s nice to be spoken about and it would be nice to get into a touring squad whether it’s the Lions or whatever, but I’m not looking too far ahead and I’m just focused on each game as it comes and trying to do as well as I can.”

With showers expected in London tomorrow, Kent have resisted naming their XI until before the toss.

Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat, who has sat out their last couple of fixtures with a side strain, is expected to be available for selection.