NZ vs ENG | Joe Denly ruled out of T20 series due to ankle injury
Joe Denly has been ruled out of the ongoing T20 series between England and New Zealand after he damaged a ligament in his ankle during a training session. Denly was replaced by uncapped all-rounder Lewis Gregory in the playing XI as he will now start a rehabilitation programme ahead of Test series.
Joe Denly injured his ankle which ruled him out of the T20 series against the Kiwis. Denly damaged a ligament in a training session ahead of the first T20I of the series, in which he was expected to play, which England went on to win with ease.
Denly was replaced by uncapped Lewis Gregory in the playing XI, who didn't get a chance to bat in his maiden T20I. Denly made it to the national team on the back of 11,947, almost 12,000 runs he scored in first-class cricket. He scored 312 runs in 10 innings in the recently concluded Ashes at home with an impressive average of 31.2.
He also has been named for the Test series against New Zealand. Denly ‘will now start a rehabilitation programme and will be routinely assessed ahead of the two-match Test series' according to an ECB spokesperson as quoted by Cricbuzz. England haven't named a replacement until now as they expect Denly to recover and feature in the longest format of the game. England will be playing the next T20 in Wellington on Sunday (November 3).