Joe Denly lucky to have played 15 Tests, not good enough, slams Michael Vaughan

Having entered the Test as one of England’s more reliable batsmen, veteran Joe Denly has found himself in an extremely precarious position ahead of the second Test in Old Trafford after failing to pile the runs on at the Ageas Bowl. Denly, who boasted an average of 30.00 in Test cricket prior to the first Test, has come under fire from former cricketers and experts alike after scoring just 18 and 29 in the first and the second innings respectively, of the Ageas Bowl Test, and, according to former England skipper Michael Vaughan, time’s up for the 34-year-old Kent man.

Denly’s case to stay in the side was further dented by young Zak Crawley, who scored a fine 76 on Day 4, and Vaughan opined that the 22-year-old must keep his place ahead of Denly when skipper Root returns to the side for the second Test at Old Trafford. Vaughan labelled Denly ‘not good enough’ and added that he was lucky to have gotten the chance to play 15 Tests.

"England have a decision to make on Denly. Crawley surely has to stay in the side. Joe 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 Sport, reported News18.

"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 has missed his chance and they have to stick with Crawley. I'm sorry for Denly - he's just not good enough."

Meanwhile, young Crawley, whose 76 on Day 4 was the highest of all batsmen in the game, played down the hype and added that his responsibility was only to score runs. Crawley, also a Kent man, praised his teammate Denly and said that decisions on selection must be left to the management.

"That's not my place to say. My job is to score runs, and that is what I will try to continue to do as long as I get a chance.It is for the powers that be to decide. Joe has done extremely well over the past year and it's a tough scenario,” said the youngster.