Full Name

Robert William Trevor Key

Born

May 12, 1979, East Dulwich, London

Age

44y 312d

Nicknames

Keysy

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Right arm Offbreak

Playing Role

Top order Batter

Height

6ft 1in

Education

Langley Park Boys' School

A career tends to need to end before the epithet "legend" can be appended to it, but in Kent at least Rob Key has already earned it. After seven years leading the county on the field, for much of the time under trying circumstances, he stood down at the end of the 2012 season, and in the following season proceeded to accumulate over 1,000 runs in County Championship cricket and 500 in the one day game. His captaincy successor James Tredwell then awakened interest from England, leaving Key to take charge once more - 2015 was to be his ninth season at the helm.

Cherry-cheeked Key had been marked down for great things - not least by headline-writers spotting an easy pun a mile off - since he helped England to win the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa early in 1998. His trademark shot was a back-foot biff through the covers, while his off-drive on the front foot pleases the purists too. Never the sleekest, Key's waistline expanded along with his burgeoning batting reputation, and he was 16 stone and counting before Alec Stewart had a quiet word. He encapsulated his approach to fitness on a questionnaire on the Kent website: in answer to the question 'Most likely to?' he responded 'Never run the London marathon'.

Over 1000 runs for Kent in 2001 were followed by a winter under Rod Marsh at the Academy in Adelaide. Key came back even leaner and hungrier, and more runs propelled him past Ian Bell - previously touted as the Next Big Thing - into the England side after Marcus Trescothick's broken thumb and Graham Thorpe's broken marriage created a vacancy or two. A couple of gutsy innings followed in Australia, although he displayed a worrying propensity for getting out when seemingly set, especially just after a break in play. But in 2004, he burst back into the limelight, scoring 1000 first-class runs by the second day of June, and cracking a magnificent 221 against West Indies at Lord's, in his first Test appearance for over a year.

The jury, however, was still out after a hit-and-miss winter in South Africa in 2004-05, when his culpable shot-selection in defeat at Cape Town was offset by an important half-century in the series-clinching victory at Johannesburg. He was appointed Kent's captain for the 2006 season, a role he took on "to enhance, not hamper" his career, and as captain of the England A team that took on the Sri Lankan and Pakistani tourists, it was clear he remained in the selectors' thoughts. This was confirmed when he was named in the Academy squad to be based in Perth during the winter's Ashes series, and in 2007 his one-day game, a self-confessed weakness, came to fruition as he led Kent to a memorable Twenty20 Cup triumph at Edgbaston. Come the 2008 season he was champing at the bit for a Test recall, as demonstrated by an unbeaten 178 for Kent against the New Zealand tourists, a performance that earned him the captaincy of the Lions in 2008.

When the selectors did call again it was for England's opening match of the 2009 World Twenty20, at Lord's. Few will remember that Key contributed an unbeaten 10 but many will recall that the hosts lost to Netherlands. It was to be his only appearance, and by the time he decided to give up the Kent captaincy, at the end of the 2012 season, his name had all but disappeared off the international radar. With the county failing to win Championship promotion and their former England batsman struggling to find top form, a change was perhaps best for all concerned, but now he's back at the helm again.

For Rob Key a career in the media, which has already begun on television, appears likely.


ESPNcricinfo staff

Rob Key Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests1526177522131.00163947.2813972110
ODIs550541910.8013540.00006000
T20Is1111010*-8125.00000010
FC2995173719419270*40.45--5476--1550
List A225218176469144*32.18--837--460
T20s989811223998*25.731797124.5901324148250

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests15------------
ODIs5------------
T20Is1------------
FC299-48433132/312/31110.334.10161.3000
List A225-000-----000
T20s98------------
Rob Key portrait

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI
T20I

Recent Matches of Rob Key

MatchBatDateGroundFormat
Kent vs Glamorgan94 & 15809-Sep-2015CardiffFC
Kent vs Lancashire11301-Sep-2015CanterburyFC
Kent vs Derbyshire29 & 6721-Aug-2015DerbyFC
Kent vs Northants16 & 4204-Aug-2015CanterburyFC
Kent vs Essex7119-Jul-2015Tunbridge WellsFC

Photos of Rob Key

"Any idea what's going to happen, Ben?"
England men's managing director Rob Key chats with Ben Stokes
ECB chair Richard Thompson and managing director Rob Key take in England training
Rob Key looks on during a nets session
Rob Key looks through a camera
Rob Key speaks to Alex Hales and Jos Buttler during a training session