Rob Key excited to ‘shape new great era’ as he takes charge of English cricket

Rob Key has been announced as the new managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board, the first appointment of a new era for the governing body.

Joe Root was the latest of a series of resignations when he revealed his decision to retire as England captain on Friday following a disastrous 12 months of red-ball cricket including a dismal 4-0 defeat in the Ashes.

The 31-year-old’s decision expanded a power vacuum at the ECB, with head coach Chris Silverwood, batting coach Graham Thorpe and former managing director of England men’s cricket Ashley Giles losing their jobs over three successive days in February.

Key had been a surprise contender for that role, which was openly advertised on the ECB website, having primarily worked as a commentator and pundit since his retirement from county cricket with Kent in 2015, and he will give up his current role with Sky Sports to take the reins.

“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 shape the next great era of English men’s cricket,” Key said.

“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.”

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