Kent batter Denly to miss start of season with injury

Joe Denly scored four 50s and one century in the County Championship for Kent in 2024

Experienced Kent batter Joe Denly is set to miss the start of the County Championship season after suffering a broken arm in training.

The 39-year-old has undergone surgery after he was injured while batting in a nets session this week.

"He is unavailable for selection at this time," Kent said on its website ahead of a two-day warm-up match against Essex on Thursday and Friday.

Denly also missed almost three months of last season between June and September with a knee injury.

Seam bowler Matt Quinn is still "working closely" with the club's medical team on a leg injury and has been ruled out of pre-season preparations.

Elsewhere in the squad, batter Jack Leaning, all-rounder Marcus O'Riordan and fast bowler Mikey Cohen are hoping to recover from respective injuries in time to be available for the County Championship Division Two opener at Northampton on Friday, 4 April.

Pakistan Test bowler Kashif Ali and South African seamer Keith Dudgeon, who signed for Kent this week, will be available for selection for new head coach Adam Hollioake's first competitive game in charge.

England international Zak Crawley will not bat in the pre-season friendly with Essex due to "ECB commitments" but is "getting volume in his batting through one-to-one sessions with Kent coaches", the club said.