Joe Denly heads for South Africa this weekend intent on improving his performances in the Champions Trophy,

In an honest assessment of his first international trip, the 23-year-old Kent opener admitted: "Overall it wasn’t the best of tours for me and I didn’t do myself justice."

However, Denly’s preparations for the month-long tour, including two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals, could have been better.

He stepped off his sickbed this week after a bout of flu to join the rest of the squad for a pre-tour get together at Loughborough University yesterday (Wednesday), before flying out to South Africa on Saturday.

He said: "I still don’t feel great. I’m on antibiotics and hope to have a net at Canterbury before linking up with the rest of the squad."

Denly scored 67 runs in four innings as England reached the Champions Trophy semi-finals, before a nine wicket defeat against Australia last month but did enough to get another chance.

He added: "I got a few starts but that’s not good enough at international level. I looked pretty confident but nine times out of 10 I got myself out.

"I came back a lot more confident, telling myself I can do well. If I do open the innings with Andrew Strauss or whoever, in South Africa, I will be looking to bat through the innings and make a major contribution."

Denly will be facing two former team-mates on the trip, Ryan McLaren, called up for the first time after leaving Kent and Wayne Parnell."