Joe Denly is a product of the Kent youth system, having been with the county since the age of 13, and made his debut in 2004 against Oxford University. He served notice of his considerable talent with three half centuries in three Tests whilst touring India with England Under-19 in 2005. He captained both Kent Second XI and the ECB Development of Excellence XI team, and scored his maiden first-class hundred against Cambridge University in 2006. The release of David Fulton opened up a place in the Kent top order, which Denly took with both hands during the first part of the 2007 season. His prolific form caught the eye of England's selectors and he was named in the England Lions side to face India. The 2008 summer again kept him in the frame, especially in one-day cricket, where he enjoyed an impressive Twenty20 tournament. But it was in 2009, after averaging 51.85 in the Friends Provident Trophy, that Denly got his international call-up - the one-day squad to play Australia.