England hit by Denly injury scare

(GETTY IMAGES)

England suffered an injury scare this morning when Joe Denly hurt his leg during a warm-up game of football.

The 23-year-old had to be carried off the Brit Oval pitch after a tackle from Owais Shah in the warm up, which the team usually start their practice sessions with.

The clash left Denly injured on the ground for 15 minutes before he was helped off by England physio Kirk Russell and head of security Reg Dickason.

An ECB spokesman confirmed the Kent opener is being assessed by Russell, with an update on Denly's injury expected some time this afternoon.

The ritual of playing football before matches has been criticised in the past.

Matt Prior suffered a back spasm while playing football during England's warm up for the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley.

It was subsequently revealed that Denly will undergo a scan this afternoon after injuring his left knee in the incident.