Nasser: Key is no fool | What's first on England MD's list?

Nasser Hussain believes Rob Key is the right man to take England forward after being appointed managing director of the men's team.

Key, who will relinquish his punditry role with Sky Sports to take up the position, joins at a time with England seeking a new Test captain following Joe Root's decision to step down and a permanent head coach, and is excited to be entrusted with this responsibility.

There's plenty for the 42-year-old to get stuck into, and here, Nasser runs through the immediate issues on the to-do-list.

I'm very pleased for Rob and I think the ECB have made an excellent choice. I don't know who the other candidates were, but I've worked with Rob for the last six years and even though at times he plays the fool, he's no fool.

There are times he has said things on air or at the back of the box and you think 'this lad knows his cricket'. He is absolutely a cricket man from top to bottom; his daughter plays in the Kent age groups, he's played for and captained Kent, and he's played for England.

I think England have made a good choice, he's an excellent cricket man and he's got a very good cricket brain.

People, once they've met Rob, worked with him and understood him, know he's got a lot of good ideas on the game and he's not afraid to put his head above the parapet or of taking a different view from somebody else.

He'll stand up for what he believes in and to a degree he's stubborn with that, but I like that stubbornness and he won't be swayed - and I think that's what this role needs. People will come out with hundreds of ideas, but what you need is someone with crystal clear direction, not swayed by pundits, newspapers and media.

The short-term has to be the two or three major decisions he has to make. I