Joe Denly: England World Cup omission won't leave Kent batsman 'moping around'

Joe Denly will hope to retain his England Test place after making 69 in his last innings against West Indies

Joe Denly will not be "moping around" after his omission from England's World Cup squad as he shifts his focus to racking up runs in county cricket.

Kent's acting captain was left out of the final 15-man squad as Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson was preferred.

But the 33-year-old right-hander could return for England in August's Ashes Test series after making his debut against West Indies in February.

"I've got to get on with it now and put in some performances," he said.

Denly was included in England's provisional World Cup squad, but limited opportunities in the recent one-day series against Pakistan saw him bowl six wicketless overs with his leg-spin and score 17 in his only innings.

Slow left-armer Dawson helped Hampshire reach the One-Day Cup final with 18 wickets and an average of 45 with the bat.

"Before I got the call, I knew that was an avenue they could take and I was fully prepared for it," Denly told BBC Radio Kent.

"Liam Dawson is a fantastic cricketer and deserves his selection.

"There's no point in me moping around. I've got to get on with it now and I'm looking forward to putting in some performances for Kent and getting some County Championship runs under my belt.

"There's a lot of cricket between now and the Ashes, so my focus now is performing well for Kent and if that happens, hopefully the Ashes selection will take care of itself."

Batting at number three, Denly made 69 in his most recent Test innings as he helped guide England to a 232-run win against West Indies in St Lucia.

That position looks set to be one up for grabs yet again in England's line-up, who will face Ireland in a four-day Test at Lord's in July before the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston in August.