Joe Denly staked his claim for a place in England's Ashes squad this summer by scoring his maiden Test fifty on Monday.

The 32-year-old Kent batsman was playing only his second Test for England.

But, having been dropped on 12 by West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer, Denly looked assured and produced a series of excellent shots on his way to a score of 69.

It boosts Denly's chances of staying in the Test team ahead of the Ashes, which gets under way at the start of August.

"It is a long way away," Denly told Sky Sports after his innings in St Lucia.

"I said before playing in an Ashes series would be a dream.

"Every English cricketer dreams of playing in an Ashes series and I'd be lying if I wasn't thinking about it.

"But there's a lot of cricket before that and lots to focus on."

Denly scored 11 boundaries in his half-century and appeared on course for three before being caught behind from a poor shot.

"It (a century) was in the back of my mind, I'm not going to lie," said Denly.

"It was a pretty tame ending. I was always going to go after a bit of width if they offered it up and sadly I toed it to the keeper again.

"It felt good. It was pleasing to spend time out there and get a first fifty under my belt.

"It's been a test and that's what you expect when you come up to this level.

"There's no let-up, they've got four high quality seamers and a decent spinner as well. Not only have the pitches been tricky, credit to them as they've bowled well as a unit.

"I felt really relaxed out there. The build up towards my debut, there was a bit of anxiety but as soon as I walked out there I enjoyed it and was able to soak up every minute."

Denly, who will remain in the West Indies as part of England's one-day squad, misses the start of the county championship season with Kent as he'll be playing in the IPL.