Denly acknowledges Strauss influence

Joe Denly's brisk half-century keeps his name in the frame to open in the forthcoming Twenty20 and one-day internationals

Joe Denly hailed the effect of captain Andrew Strauss on his own batting form after getting among the runs in England’s second tour match in South Africa, against the Warriors at the De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley.

The Kent opener hit 82 and his skipper struck a magnificent unbeaten 117 as the pair put on a match-winning 175-run partnership.

Together they dominated the home side's bowling as England chased down a 255-run victory target with 9.1 overs to spare.

It was welcome time in the middle for Denly - whose last half-century for his country came during the NatWest Series against Australia - on the back of an inauspicious ICC Champions Trophy campaign.

“I was a little bit disappointed with the Champions Trophy, getting those starts and then getting myself out,” he said.

“I wouldn't say that I was got out by any of the teams, I pretty much got myself out which was disappointing.

“I've learnt from that and hopefully today's knock is the start of putting that right and getting the sort of scores that the team want from me.”

Of opening partner Andrew Strauss, Denly enthused: “He is in great touch at the moment and that makes life easier for me"

He added: “It was brilliant to get ourselves off to a good start like that and the more I bat with Straussy the more I enjoy it. He is great to bat with and he is a very experienced player.

“He is in great touch at the moment and that makes life easier for me when he is batting that well. I think the right and left-hand combination works well at the top too.”

Competition for batting places is currently intense, with Jonathan Trott staking his claim in the opening game with a man-of-the-match display – he hit 85 – and the inclusion of Test opener Alastair Cook in the one-day set-up.

The impending return of Kevin Pietersen this week is also likely to up the ante, but Denly was just pleased to finally get back amongst the runs.

He continued: “It was nice to get out there and spend some time in the middle.

“It is important to get some runs under your belt before the international games start and just have as much time out there as you can.”

Denly, whose 85-ball innings included seven fours and two sixes, also revealed that batting in Kimberley was not as easy as it looked.

He added: “It was quite tricky to begin with because the pitch is a bit slow and they were bowling cutters which were hard to get away.

“It was really about getting used to the pace of the pitch.

“Once I did that I felt the more time I spent out there the easier it became for me to time the ball and in the end I was feeling very comfortable.”