Rob Key was announced as England’s new Managing director of Cricket while he takes charge of Andrew Strauss who served as the interim managing director after England’s Ashes failure.
Rob Key was announced as England’s new Managing director of Cricket on Sunday. Rob takes charge of Andrew Strauss who served as the interim managing director after England’s Ashes failure.
The former England batter will take up the position on an immediate basis and also relinquish his role as one of Sky Sports’ commentators.
“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 begin shortly,”
the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a media release.
“It is an absolute honor 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 to shape the next great era of English Men’s cricket,”
Key said.
“I have 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 on 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,”
he added.
Rob Key had made his first-class debut against Middlesex in April 1998 while he captained the Kent and powered the team to a second division championship title in 2010. He played 15 Tests for his country and his highest test score was 221 against West Indies at Lord’s in 2004.
“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 levels are 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,”
Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer said.
“I’d like to thank Andrew for agreeing to step back into the role on an interim basis. To have someone with his experience and skillset during the transition and recruitment process was invaluable. He remains a huge asset to English and Welsh Cricket.”