 Denly played for England age group sides from under-17 to under-19 levels, scoring three half-centuries in consecutive matches for the under-19s in India in 2005.He captained the ECB Development of Excellence team and first played for England Lions in 2007.He was called up to England's squad for the One Day International (ODI) series against Australia on 17 August 2009, and made his international debut in the ODI match against Ireland on 27 August 2009, opening the innings and top-scoring with 67.