ICC World Cup 2019: Joe Denly suffers injury setback ahead of the tournament

Joe Denly’s hopes of putting behind his forgettable stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and hitting the ground running at home took a big blow on Tuesday. The England all-rounder suffered an injury in his first game of the season for Kent during the domestic One-Day Cup defeat to Gloucestershire. Denly was playing his first competitive game after returning from India where he was representing Kolkata Knight Riders.

Denly could not make a mark in his maiden IPL season. He played just one game and was out for a first-ball duck against Delhi Capitals. Denly left India before Knight Riders’ clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (April 21).  Denly, nonetheless, started well with the bat and scored a fifty. The knock, however, turned bitter when he injured himself on his way to 56 from 69 balls. Denly could not come out to take the field in the second innings of the match. Gloucestershire went on to crush Kent by six wickets.

Update on injury:

Allan Donald, Kent’s assistant coach, later gave an update on Denly’s injury, saying that the all-rounder suffered a back spasm. He also rued the spate of injuries suffered by Kent players in the ongoing season.

“Joe Denly suffered a back spasm while batting that we need to manage and it just adds to the most vicious injury cycle I have ever known. When you see Sean Dickson and Zak Crawley bowling in a game it shows the lengths to which we are suffering,” said Donald as quoted by Kent’s official website.

“The players are hurting, but there is nothing we can do but stay together, be patient and see this period through. I hope there is some reward at the end of it and we can come out winning something at the end of the season. Then we might be able to look back on our start and smile. But at the moment, with so many players missing, it is very tough to take,” added the legendary South African.

Kent, meanwhile, are languishing at the bottom of the South Group after suffering their fourth successive loss. They will next take on Glamorgan on Thursday. Denly’s injury, nonetheless, will be another worry for England’s team management as they sweat over the availability of Alex Hales and Jason Roy. While Hales has taken an indefinite break from cricket, Roy too suffered a back spasm during the ongoing one-day cup. All the three players have been named in England’s World Cup squad and the team management would be desperate to have them fit and sound during the upcoming preparatory camp for the mega-event.

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