ECB appoint Rob Key as managing director of England men's setup

Rob Key has been appointed as the new managing director of England's men's setup, the country's cricket board said on Sunday. 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 who 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.