ECB appoint Rob Key as MD of England men's setup

Former Kent captain, and England batter Rob Key, has been appointed as the new managing director of England's men's setup, the country's cricket board said on Sunday, April 17.

Key, who has made 21 appearances for England and scored over 19,000 first-class runs, was chosen after a rigorous recruitment process.

He will take up the role immediately, relinquishing his current role with broadcaster Sky Sports.

"Key will be responsible for the strategy behind the England Men's cricket teams and the performance pathways leading into them. He will also take a key role as part of the High-Performance Review which will shortly begin," the England Cricket Board (ECB) said in a press release.

Prior to Key's appointment, Andrew Strauss had undertaken the role on an interim basis following Ashley Giles' departure in February after three years.

Key played 21 times for England across all three formats including making a Test double hundred against the West Indies at Lord's in 2004 which led to him being named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2005.

During a playing career that spanned three decades (1998-2015), Key amassed over 28,000 runs with 60 centuries.
He captained Kent twice from 2006-2012 and then again from 2014-15. During his time as captain, the side won the County Championship Second Division title in 2010 and reached three white ball domestic finals.

He was also part of the England side that won the Under-19 World Cup for the first and only time in 1998.

After announcing his retirement in 2016, Key became a successful commentator for Sky Sports alongside writing a regular column for the Evening Standard.

 He has remained involved in the administration side of the game and has previously sat on the ECB's Performance Cricket Committee.

Key said: "It is an absolute honour to take up this role. The chance to have an impact and make a difference is an opportunity given to very few and I will give it everything I have to try and shape the next great era of English men's cricket.

"I have absolutely loved my time at Sky and I could never have imagined leaving were it not for this incredible opportunity. I'd like to personally thank Bryan Henderson and everyone in the team for their help and support.

"Although at this current moment it has been a challenging time in English cricket, I also think it's as exciting a time as I can remember.

"With two of our teams near or at the top of the world rankings and an undoubted amount of talent in our game, I hope to try and bring everyone along for the ride so we can all help take English men's cricket to new heights across all formats."

Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer said: "Following a thorough recruitment process, Rob stood out in a very 
competitive field. 

His passion and knowledge of the game at the domestic and international level is outstanding. He is a proven leader and combines an approachable nature with fresh original thinking and resilience which will stand him in good stead.

"He will bring a lot to the role and I am sure players and staff alike will enjoy working with Rob. I have no doubt he will relish the challenge before us."