Joe Denly’s England international career was divided into two distinct parts.
Joe was originally selected as a white ball specialist in 2009 and there was then a gap of eight-and-a-half years before he was recalled and made his Test debut at the age of 32 the Caribbean in early 2019.
He made 827 runs in 15 Tests, including six half-centuries with a best of 94 as an opener in the victory over Australia at The Oval in the final match of the 2019 Ashes.
Joe’s re-emergence as an international followed his return to his native Kent in 2015 after three seasons with Middlesex.
Canterbury born and bred, Joe first played for Kent as a 13-year-old and progressed through the county’s pathway system to the senior squad.
He made his first-class debut against Oxford UCCE in 2005 and his maiden century against their Cambridge counterparts 12 months later.
In 2008 Joe became the first Canterbury-born player in Kent’s history to be awarded a county cap, which reward for a prolific summer in which he scored almost 2,000 runs across the formats.
Having been a regular for England Under-19s between 2004 and 2005, Joe’s senior international call-up came for a One Day International against Ireland in Belfast in August 2009 where he made 67 on debut.
Joe played in the white ball series against Australia which followed and was part of England’s squad who reached the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy in the winter of 2009/10.
That could have been the end of Joe ‘s international career but he was rejuvenated by his return to Kent. He enjoyed a remarkable two-year purple patch in 2017 and 2018 in which he scored more than 2,000 first-class, 650 List A and almost 1,000 Twenty20 runs for Kent. His T20 aggregate included a Kent record 127 against Essex at Chelmsford in 2017.
Joe also enjoyed his first taste of franchise cricket, playing two seasons in the Big Bash League for Sydney Sixers and one for Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.
His performances were also recognised by his peers as Joe was voted PCA Player of the Year in 2018 as well as topping the PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings.
The England recall came in the autumn of 2018 for a T20 match against Sri Lanka in Colombo and Joe made the most of the opportunity by taking four for 19 with his clever leg breaks which clinched a 30 runs win and earned him the Player of the Match Award.
For almost two years Joe became a regular for England across all formats with his maiden Test half-century against the West Indies at Gros Islet in February 2018 followed by three more in the Ashes series that followed.
Joe made his last Test appearance against West Indies at Southampton in 2020 and his last in white ball cricket against Australia, also at the Rose Bowl, later in that Covid-affected summer.
He has continued to score heavily and consistently for Kent, playing alongside his nephew Jaydn for the first time in a List A match against Essex at Canterbury in 2023.
Joe has also kept busy on the franchise T20 and List A circuit playing for Barisal Burners, Dhaka Dynamites and Brothers Union in Bangladesh, Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan, Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, Brisbane Heat in the BBL, Sharjah Warriors in the International League T20 and London Spirit in The Hundred.
Tests
15
Highest score: 94 England v Australia at The Oval (2019)
Best bowling: 2-42 England v South Africa at Cape Town (2019/20)
ODIs
16
Highest score: 87 England v South Africa at Cape Town (2019/20)
Best bowling: 1-24 England v Ireland at Dublin (2019)
T20Is
13
Highest score: 30 England v West Indies at Gros Islet (2018/19)
Best bowling: 4-19 England v Sri Lanka at Colombo (2018/19)
First-class
Highest score: 227 Kent v Worcestershire at Worcester (2017)
Best bowing: 4-36 Kent v Derbyshire at Derby (2018)
List A
Highest score: 150 not out Kent v Glamorgan at Canterbury (2018)
Best bowling: 4-35 Kent v Jamaica at North Sound (2017/18)
T20
Highest score: 127 Kent v Essex at Chelmsford (2017)
Best bowling: 4-19 England v Sri Lanka at Colombo (2018/19)
Equipment Sponsor: Keeley Cricket
Twitter: @joed1986
Instagram: joe.denly