Self-discipline, excellence, integrity and perseverance are some traits that every Knight is known for. Their courage and devotion is next to no one. When the odds are against you, they stand tall and deliver to the community they represent and bring home the glory.
Such has been the story of our newly added Knight, Joe Denly. The Englishman is all set to appear in the IPL for the first time with Kolkata Knight Riders and here are more reasons to believe that our Knight has earned his way through the Knighthood.
Chapter 1 - Under 19s Days
A promising talent Denly made his first-class debut for Kent in 2004 at the age of 18. The kid was soon a hit and found himself in the touring England U19 squad for India where he scored three half-centuries in as many Tests. Not a bad start at all!
Chapter 2 - First International call up for England
Denly's good run with the bat kept him in the loop for the national selection with an impressive average of 51.85 in the Friends Provident Trophy that sealed the deal as he was called for national duty in ODIs. He was also the highest scorer (67) for England in his debut match that they lost by 3 runs (D/L method) to Ireland. The then 23-year old surely impressed everyone with his skills.
Chapter 3 - Slump of Form - Down but not OUT!
After featuring in nine ODIs for England, Denly averaged 29.77 but struggled with consistency. A below-par performance in the County Championship only made things worse for him. There was a period when he couldn't even reach a single hundred in the Championship for two years. The Englishman didn't give up and moved to Middlesex. The shift didn't change his fate as Denly could only manage three hundreds across all format in three seasons. But his passion never let him down.
Chapter 4 - Denly’s Homecoming to Kent.png)
PC: cricinfo
The right-hander finally found himself among some runs after moving back to Kent for a second stint. He was one of only two Kent players with over 1000 Championship runs. Denly continued his purple patch in 2017 and in the following year earned a maiden call for England's Test side, almost 10 years after his ODI debut.
Speaking of T20s, the Englishman brings a tremendous amount of experience. Having played 199 T20s he has scored over 5000 runs with four 100s and thirty 50s. He also became the first player ever to score a century and take a hat-trick (102 and 3/31) in the same game against Surrey in a thrilling six-run win. Yes! He is more than a handy bowler. The leggie was the highest wicket-taker (4/19 vs Sri Lanka, 2018) last time he played for England in the shortest format of the game.
Currently representing England against West Indies in the whites, Denly showed his grit in a 69-run knock in the second innings of the last Test which England win the match by a mammoth 232 runs. We wish our Knight all the success for a busy 2019 that also features the Cricket World Cup and Ashes apart from IPL.
