Joe Denly must adapt his technique now to keep England place, says Nasser Hussain

Denly was dismissed for 18 on the second day of the first Test against West Indies, bowled through the gap between bat and pad by Shannon Gabriel, as the ball nipped back in off the seam

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Day 2 report

Joe Denly must adapt his game to eradicate a flaw in his technique or risk losing his place in England's Test team, Nasser Hussain says.

Denly was dismissed for 18 on the second day of the first Test against West Indies, bowled through the gap between bat and pad by Shannon Gabriel, as the ball nipped back in off the seam.

It highlighted a persistent issue which has troubled the Kent batsman throughout his time in England's red-ball side. Denly averages little more than 15 against deliveries which seam into his pads, compared to an overall average of 29.55 and an average of more than 33 against balls which move away from his body.

With Joe Root set to return to the England side for the second Test following the birth of his second child, and Essex's Dan Lawrence waiting in the wings following a prolific winter for the Lions, Denly's position is under threat.

"Denly has to believe that a tweak can be made, even while he accepts the risks that come with it," Hussain wrote in his Daily Mail column.

^{Joe Denly was bowled by Shannon Gabriel for 18 on Thursday}

"After training the brain for years about where his off stump is, a change of guard may confuse him about which balls to play at and which to leave. But the reality is that if he does not adapt quickly, the best bowlers are going to keep finding him out.

"Test cricket can be a ruthless business. Denly has to adapt — and he has to adapt now."

England were bowled out for just 204 in their first innings at the Ageas Bowl, before West Indies reached 57 for 1 at stumps on day two.

Seamer Mark Wood conceded at the close of play that West Indies had the upper hand on proceedings.

"They’re on top. They bowled well and showed us the way to go. We’ve got plenty to put right in the morning to make an impact," he said.

"We’d have liked 250 to 300, so we were a little bit short. They didn’t allow us to get away, and Jason bowled very well. He tested the techniques of our players and was very consistent."

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