Joseph Liam Denly (born 16 March 1986) is an English professional cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club. He was a right-handed batsman and occasional leg break bowler who plays as a top-order batsman. Denly played age-group cricket for Kent and began his professional career with the county before moving to Middlesex for three seasons between 2012 and 2014. He won the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year award in 2018 and was named the season's Most Valuable Player.
Denly represented England in Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. He played age-group cricket for England and made 14 one-day appearances for the international team in 2009 and 2010 before falling out of favour with national selectors. He was called back into the England Test and ODI squads in 2018 following two seasons of good performances for Kent, making his Test debut for England in January 2019.
Early life Denly was born in Canterbury in 1986 where he later attended Chaucer Technology School.Joe Denly, ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 October 2016.Hoad, Alex (2014). Former Kent and England batsman Joe Denly is expected to return to Kent from Middlesex in October 2014, Kent Online, 13 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2018. Denly played football for Charlton Athletic's academy as a teenager and played for Whitstable Town under-18s, where he broke his arm in a match.Bull A (2009) Joe Denly's football injury embarrasses an England intent on finding stability, The Guardian, 4 September 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2014.Martin A (2018) Joe Denly: ‘I went missing for a few years. I had to start enjoying it again’, The Guardian, 30 September 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018. Joe comes from a family of cricketers, with his brother Sam and father Nick have both having played cricket for Whitstable Cricket Club in the Kent Cricket League.Derby decided in final over, Kentish Gazette, 17 June 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2018.Joe Denly, CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
Domestic career
Denly played for Kent County Cricket Club at every age level and was a member of the county's cricket academy. He made his first-class cricket debut for the county in 2004 at the age of 18 against Oxford University before playing his first County Championship match against Gloucestershire the following season.Joe Denly: Kent signing targets promotion with 'home club', BBC Sport, 22 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2018. At the end of the 2005 season he was given an extension to his contract.Kent release Alamgir Sheriyar, ESPNcricinfo, 19 October 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
Denly scored his maiden professional century in 2007, carrying his bat for 115 not out of a Kent total of only 199 against Hampshire at Canterbury.Kent star Denly defies Aussie duo, BBC Sport, 2007-05-23, Retrieved 23 May 2007.Lyles C (2007) Denly goes all the way for Kent, The Daily Telegraph, 24 May 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2018. In July, Denly was called up to the England Lions squad for the match against India and made 83 off 90 balls. In his first season, he brought up 1,000 first-class runs.
The 2008 season began slowly with a series of low scores. He did, however, make a career best score of 149 against Somerset at Tunbridge Wells and went on to end the season as one of the year's highly rated players.Howells K (2008) , BBC Sport, 25 September 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
Denly has spent several English off-seasons, starting in 2006–07, playing in Australia in the Sydney Grade Cricket competition for UTS Balmain (now known as Sydney Cricket Club), in part to improve his back foot play.Berry S (2009) Joe Denly aiming to put England on to the front foot, Daily Telegraph, 29 August 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2016.Wu A (2010) Ashes dream turns to dust – England discard hits Sydney grade scene, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2016.Braid M (2010) Denly hopes to join in English run parade. Sydney Morning Herald, 9 December 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2016. He returned to the club for the 2016–17 season.Callinan D (2016) Newcastle Steel defeated by Daniel Smith and Joe Denly-inspired Sydney Cricket Club in NSW Premier Twenty20 Cup , Newcastle Herald, 30 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
On 9 September 2011, Denly surpassed his previous high score of 149 and recorded a score of 199 against Derbyshire. On 28 September 2011, Denly moved from Kent to the newly promoted Middlesex.Joe Denly has signed for Middlesex, Middlesex County Cricket Club, 28 September 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2013.Archived, 2012-04-03.Struggling Kent lose Paul Farbrace, Martin van Jaarsveld and Joe Denly, The Guardian, 28 September 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2018. He returned to Kent in October 2014 after three seasons with Middlesex, ending his contract with Middlesex a year early to do so.Former England batsman Joe Denly agrees return to Kent Cricket after being released by Middlesex, Kent Online, 30 October 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2016.Joe Denly: Kent re-sign Middlesex batsman as Nash & Adams stay, BBC Sport, 20 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2018. His time at Middlesex was disappointing with him unable to perform consistently, scoring "just 1,829 Championship runs" in his time with the club and after averaging around 20 runs per innings in his final season with the club.
Denly improved his first-class high score in May 2016 when he scored 206 not out in the first innings of a match against Northamptonshire, his maiden first-class double century.Stokes M (2016) Kent batsman Joe Denly says his unbeaten double century against Northamptonshire was among the best knocks of his career, Kent Online, 18 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016. He signed a long-term contract extension during August 2016,Hoad, Alex (2016). Kent batsman Joe Denly has signed a long-term contract extension., Kent Online, 15 August 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016. having made headlines earlier in the year when he retired not out in a County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby when his wife went into labour unexpectedly early with the couple's first child.Dickson double and late drama changes game, ESPNcricinfo, 24 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.Tredwell, Bell-Drummond complete great Kent comeback, ESPNcricinfo, 25 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.Hoad, Alex (2016). Kent beat Derbyshire by seven wickets in the Specsavers County Championship thanks to career bests by Sean Dickson and Calum Haggett, Kent Online, 25 May 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016. At the beginning of 2016, Denly gave up alcohol for a year to raise money for Cancer Research UK and the Professional Cricketers' Association benevolent fund, raising more than £4,000.Hoad, Alex (2016). Kent and England batsman Joe Denly gives up alcohol for a year to raise money for Cancer Research and PCA Benevolent Fund, Kent Online, 14 January 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.Joe Denly raises more than £4,000 for charity, Kent County Cricket Club, 3 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017. (Archived, 2017-02-05.) After signing a contract extension in August 2016,Joe Denly: Kent batsman signs new contract with Division Two club, BBC Sport, 15 August 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017. Denly further improved his first-class high score on 21 May 2017 when he made 227 in the second innings of a Championship match against Worcestershire. His innings put Kent on course for victory, but Worcestershire successfully chased a target of 399 the following day.Worcestershire v Kent: Joe Denly hits career-best double century as hosts face stiff target, BBC Sport, 21 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
The 2018 domestic season saw Denly lead the MVP rankings in the Royal London Cup and T20 Blast and win the overall MVP award.Fordham J (2018) Sam Billings and Joe Denly commit future to Kent, Kent Online, 10 July 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.Denly returns hunting silverware , Sydney Sixers, 19 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018. He signed a contract extension during the season and scored centuries in both one-day competitions, setting a new List A record highest score for Kent with a score of 150 against Glamorgan at Canterbury and, against Surrey at The Oval, became the first player in any form of T20 cricket to score a century and take a hat-trick in the same match. During the season he scored three Championship centuries and 1,729 runs and bowled far more frequently than in the past, taking 57 wickets in all formats of the game,Captain Joe Root calls on Joe Denly to seize the day in second Test, ESPNcricinfo, 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019. including 23 in the County Championship at a bowling average of 18.5.Naylor G (2018) The five county cricketers of the year, The Guardian, 1 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.England call up Rory Burns, Joe Denly & Olly Stone for Sri Lanka tour, BBC Sport, 21 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.Wigmore T (2018) England could pick Rory Burns and Joe Denly for winter Sri Lanka tour as life after Alastair Cook begins, The Daily Telegraph, 3 September 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2018.Dobell G (2018) 'Never give up on that dream' – Joe Denly reflects on remarkable England comeback, ESPNcricinfo, 27 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018. At the end of the season he was voted Players' Player of the Year at the Professional Cricketers' Association awards, beating teammate Matt Henry and Surrey batsman Rory BurnsJoe Denly named Players' Player of the Year at PCA awards, BBC Sport, 4 October 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018. and was called into the England squad for the first time since 2010.
Denly announced on 17 July 2026 that he would retire from cricket at the end of the 2026 season. On 31 July 2026, Denly played his final game for Kent against Somerset in the 2026 One-Day Cup.
International career Denly played for England age group teams from under-17 to under-19 levels, scoring three half-centuries in consecutive matches for the under-19s in India in 2005.Briggs S (2007) Joe Denly showed potential taking on India, The Daily Telegraph, 16 July 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2018. He captained the ECB Development of Excellence team and first played for England Lions in 2007.Weaver P (2009) Joe Denly dares to dream of following Jonathan Trott's lead. The Guardian, 28 August 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2018.Tennant I (2018) Don’t discount Joe Denly, he’s in form of his life, The Times, 5 September 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018. He was called up to England's squad for the One Day International (ODI) series against Australia on 17 August 2009,Pietersen out of England ODI squad, ESPNcricinfo, 17 August 2009. Retrieved 17 August 2009.Joe Denly is England's sole new face in T20 and ODI squads, The Guardian, 17 August 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2018. and made his international debut in the ODI match against Ireland on 27 August 2009, opening the innings and top-scoring with 67. Denly made his international Twenty20 debut against Australia on 30 August 2009, though the result was a golden duck. The same result was achieved in his second Twenty20 against South Africa. He injured his knee in a football warmup ahead of a match against Australia in 2009 and missed the first three matches of the ODI series.
He toured Bangladesh with England in 2010 and played in the Champions Trophy team which reached the semi-finals in the same year.Kent batsmen Joe Denly eyes England Test call, BBC Sport, 2 February 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2018. Denly was dropped from the England squad in the run-up to the 2010 World T20.MacPherson W (2018) Joe Denly: Once dropped as a plodder, he is now the destroyer for the Sydney Sixers, Evening Standard, 10 April 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.