Michael Vaughan targets Joe Denly for his inconsistency
Former England captain Michael Vaughan did not mince words while targeting Joe Denly's poor from in Test cricket. Vaughan believes the England team management should take a decision on the top order batsman. His statement comes after Denly failed to deliver in both innings of the ongoing Test against West Indies. Here is what Vaughan said.
A decision has to be made on Denly, feels Vaughan
"England have a decision to make on Denly. Crawley has to stay in the side. Denly played the way he has played in all of his 15 Tests. It's been the same story. He did the hard yards then made a mistake," Vaughan told BBC.
Denly's form has dipped in the past few matches
England's top order batsman Joe Denly hasn't made any impact in Test cricket as yet. In 26 innings, he has only managed to score 780 runs at 30.00. While the 34-year-old has slammed 6 fifties, he is yet to score his maiden ton in the format. Notably, he hasn't been able to touch the 40-run mark In his last eight Test innings.
Denly is lucky to have played for England: Vaughan
Vaughan feels England should move on from Denly. "You could argue that Denly was very lucky to have played 15 Test matches. There are a lot of players who have played only eight Tests and got hundreds," he added. "He has missed his chance and they have to stick with Crawley. I'm sorry for Denly - he's just not good enough."
Zak Crawley impressed in the second innings
Top order batsman Zak Crawley hasn't gained much international experience, but his exploits against West Indies in the first Test made him stand out. His 76-run innings in the second innings sealed his spot for the impending Test. Having played four Tests, the 22-year-old owns 164 runs at 27.33. He also has 2,100 First-class runs to his name in 41 games.
Denly may miss the second Test
Joe Denly is far behind as compared to the other England batsmen. The likes of Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley seem to have the edge. While Bruns (42) and Sibley (50) provided England the required start in the second innings, Crawley complemented Ben Stokes with his 127-ball 76. Besides, Denly could lose his spot as regular skipper Joe Root returns.
