With the proliferation of T20 leagues players are looking forward to these events as opportunities for making it to their respective national teams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England's Joe Denly is one such player who is looking at his stint at the Sharjah Warriors in the inaugural International League Twenty20 (ILT20) as a stepping stone to another spectacular chapter in an international career pockmarked by a long absence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The highly effective yet often underrated all-rounder may be turning 37 this March but he is not ready yet to give up on an England call-up as he prepares to reinvent himself as a pinch-hitter in the game's shortest format to fit into the Sharjah team's needs under compatriots, coach Paul Farbrace and captain Moeen Ali.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Denly is hoping this despite having played most of his cricket in an England shirt as a top-order batsman.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I can also play in the middle if the team needs it even though I have almost always batted in the top three," Denly said on the sidelines of a visit to The Indian International School in Dubai Silicon Oasis on Wednesday with his Sharjah Warriors teammate Alishan Sharafu ahead of their opening match on January 14.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"It is important to train with a purpose and to match that scenario with the team. I am trying to train to bat in the middle order, especially at number six, trying to develop my game and hit more boundaries." Denly last played for England in a T20I in September 2020 before eventually enduring an absence that has now lasted a little over two years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Before that he went missing from the England setup for eight years before engineering a remarkable renaissance in 2018 by winning a recall to England's Test tour of Sri Lanka in 2018 on the back of a PCA Players' Player of the Year award and topping the Most Valuable Player rankings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Will 2023 see him rise again like a phoenix from the deserts of Sharjah?<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You can never really rule [an England recall] out," he said in between signing autographs and hitting a one-handed six over deep extra cover in an impromptu two-over match with Sharafu during the school visit. "The white-ball team of England is doing well, which is nice to see. But if the opportunity comes with England, I will be happy to take it just as I am privileged to be playing here for the Sharjah franchise."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was all in a day's work for the man from Kent later the same evening as he hit a quickfire cameo to help the Warriors scale down a target of 182 with 2.2 overs to spare in a practice match against Dubai Capitals later in the evening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, he ran out dangerman Robin Uthappa with a stinging throw to the wicketkeeper from fine leg to put the spotlight back on his fitness.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I am in a good space mentally. As you grow older, you get more experienced and you learn to handle the lows with the highs. I feel fresh and good actually. I am fighting fit just like the young players.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The more you think about playing for England, that's what can put you under pressure. I haven't played since the end of the county season so I am raring to go here with Sharjah Warriors, put up some match-winning performances and not focus too much ahead. What you can control is what you can do in your space," said the all-rounder, who happened to become the first player in the world to score a century and then claim a hat-trick in a T20 in 2018 for Kent.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I am in a good space mentally. As you grow older, you get more experienced and you learn to handle the lows with the highs. I feel fresh and good actually. I am fighting fit just like the young players.<\/p>\r\n\r\n