In between England’s ruinous Ashes campaign and the largely dismal epilogue in the Caribbean last month, a panel of Rob Key, Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain recorded a podcast for Sky in which they analysed the Test team’s myriad problems and discussed how they would change things.
Key, though supposedly steering the debate as host, was pressed for his views. After detailed responses that have been widely reported over the past few days and which included his belief that player power needs addressing, Atherton joked the only solution was to take charge of the England set-up himself. “The answer to that is no,” Key replied, amid chuckles from all three.
Fast forward a couple of months and, a bit like the old Bob Monkhouse joke about the first time he told people he wanted to be a comedian, they’re not laughing now. Key starts at the England and Wales Cricket Board on Tuesday as its new managing director of men’s cricket, having bounced from playing career to commentary box to one of the most influential positions in the sport.
On the face of it this is a remarkable rise and in some quarters – including Mark Ramprakash – viewed as possibly being a case of jobs for the boys. Certainly Key’s direct experience of sports administration is as thin as the field of candidates from which he emerged, such that the ECB comms team even cited his (admittedly always thought-provoking) Evening Standard column in Easter Sunday’s lunch-ruining announcement in a bid to flesh it out a touch.
But then there is a case to say that rather than Key’s lack of hours spent throwing to players in the nets, negotiating county contracts or arguing with groundsmen about the height of the mower blades being a hindrance, his time out of – or at least adjacent to – the English system is a strength. His cricketing knowledge is rich from a lifetime in the sport, even if his Test career was largely unfulfilled, and his captaincy of Kent oversaw all facets of the club. He should be able to not just bring fresh ideas, but also scrutinise decision-making all the way down the food chain without an in-built “well, this is how we’ve always done it” mentality.
Key also has an important character trait for a role which will hinge greatly on his relationships both within English cricket and overseas: he is a people person but not a people pleaser. Some may think of him as Andrew Flintoff’s old drinking buddy and then the cherry-cheeked butt of the jokes in the Sky box, such as the time they sent him up the rock climbing wall at the Ageas Bowl. And it’s true, he is amusing company and someone who gets on with people from all walks of life. But on the subject of cricket he doesn’t muck about, with his opinions always considered but forthright, and disagreement something he does not avoid just to keep the peace.
It is also interesting to hear the jump from cricket commentary to top level administration being questioned by some when Andrew Strauss, managing director from 2015 to 2019 and someone who emerged mainly in credit, made the exact same move. Unless Test captaincy secretly teaches someone how to oversee pathways and manage budgets, perhaps Key’s estuary accent is the difference. Certainly his aversion to corporate speak, at a time when English cricket is utterly infected with it, should be welcomed.
And for another example of how the leap from broadcasting to management can be overcome, look at Ravi Shastri, who swapped describing “tracer bullets” on air to heading up India’s coaching staff without any direct experience after his playing days. Delegating much of the day-to-day coaching work to others, Shastri challenged every area of the set-up, bullishly talked up the goal of winning overseas – something which was not always the case previously – and set the tone and tactics for what became a great team. Their fast bowling in particular, under his right-hand man, Bharat Arun, was revolutionised during this period.
It would also be very English to spend years bemoaning the loss of Hussain and Atherton to the running of the sport and then turn noses up at Key, someone whose reading of the game is admired by the two former captains, for putting the microphone down and placing his head on the block. The 42-year-old probably had a job for life at Sky and, as he joked when the ECB’s initial approach became public last month, a lot more time to spend on the golf course. As it is, he has taken a bold decision to grasp the tiller of a ship that is listing right now.
And it is a huge tanker to turn around. The white-ball teams may be well-drilled under Eoin Morgan with an over-supply of players but the Test side – fifth in the rankings and bottom of the World Test Championship – will need careful husbandry beyond simply appointing a new captain and head coach. The battle over the future of the domestic game, under review by the ECB, could get spiky.
As such, Key will require strong lieutenants, possibly some initial assistance with the unfamiliar elements of the role, a bit of luck and maybe a thick skin. There are no guarantees but to say he is not qualified would be underestimating him.