England batter Joe Denly made a statement with a match-winning century for Kent against Middlesex in the ongoing T20 Blast 2022 on June 5. Denly, who has been missing from England’s T20I squad for nearly two years, smashed 110 runs from 58 deliveries to help Kent post a total of 192/8 and beat Middlesex by a big margin of 55 runs and end their losing streak of five matches.
Earlier, Denly had got good starts in the first five matches but could not convert it into a big total. Against Middlesex, he not only anchored the innings but scored runs at an excellent strike rate to help his side post an above par total. The 36-year-old reached his half-century from 30 deliveries in the ninth over. Kent laid a good platform despite opener D Bell-Drummond bagging a two-ball duck.
Denly accelerated in the middle overs and got to his century from 50 deliveries in the 14th over. He took most of the strike in the middle overs and breached the three figures. He shared a 157-run partnership for the second wicket with Jordan Cox, who scored 45 runs from 34 deliveries.
Denly got out in the 17th over of the innings to off-spinner Chris Green. He smashed nine fours and six sixes in his 110-run knock.
Chasing a target of 193, Middlesex never looked in control and kept on losing wickets. In the end, they could manage 137/8, that too with contributions from the lower-middle order batter Luke Hollman and tailender Jason Behrendorff.
This is the first win of the tournament for the Sam Billings-led side. They are currently placed eighth in the South Group.
The last time Denly played for England in T20Is was in September 2020 against Australia. The right-handed batter got a few chances but managed to score 125 runs from 12 innings with a high score of 30. With so many top-order batters emerging, he did not find a place in the England side.
In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, he played just one match for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) but remained not out for zero. He did not get another chance. KKR picked him for his base price of Rs 1 crore in the auction.
