An opening for Burns and Denly
RORY BURNS and Joe Denly have been handed the chance to fill Alastair Cook’s boots in Sri Lanka.
As national selector Ed Smith’s panel came up with the first candidates to start England’s new era after opener Cook’s 161-Test career ended this month, Surrey left-hander Burns was a predictable choice.
But 32-year-old Kent batsman Denly – only a year younger than Cook – returns to the international fold eight years since the last of his nine one-day internationals and five T20s for England.
Burns stockpiled 1,319 runs at an average of 69 for Surrey, but Denly (right) finished with an average of 36.27 for promoted Kent – a less obvious case for recall. He said: “I always held on to the hope that my opportunity hadn’t gone – and thankfully it hasn’t.”
There is also a call-up for Warwickshire’s 90mph quick bowler Olly Stone, who was included in the white-ball squad earlier this week.
Speculation that veterans James Anderson or Stuart Broad would be rested proved unfounded. SQUAD: Root (capt), Burns, Jennings, Denly, Ali, Pope, Bairstow, Stokes, Buttler, Woakes, Curran, Rashid, Broad, Stone, Anderson, Leach