England drop Joe Denly with captain Joe Root returning for second Test

Denly drops out of the side after failing with the bat in the first Test

Denly drops out of the side after failing with the bat in Southampton (Getty Images for ECB)

England have dropped batsman Joe Denly for the second Test against the West Indies.

Captain Joe Root returns at Old Trafford following the arrival of his second child, while 34-year-old Denly will not be involved.

An average of 29.53 after 15 Tests, with no centuries, left the Kent batsman vulnerable and a confident knock of 76 from county teammate Zak Crawley effectively sealed his fate.

“It’s never an easy decision, never easy having to leave someone out,” Root said.

“With Joe over a period of time he’s done a brilliant job for us, he’s helped show our identity as a side and how we played moving forward. It’s a very difficult decision but we’ve gone a different way.

“You watch Zak’s progression since he’s been involved in the team, his game has continued to get stronger.

“Joe is someone who has done a fantastic job for us over a period of time and he’ll be as frustrated as anyone that he’s not been able to covert those opportunities.”

England are one down in the three-Test series after falling to a four-wicket defeat in Southampton in the opener.

Root’s return will see him skipper the side once again after Ben Stokes deputised last week.