Former England batter and commentator Rob Key has been appointed as the new managing director of England men’s cricket team. The England Cricket Board (ECB) announced Key’s appointment on April 17.
Notably, Key will take over immediately from Sir Andrew Strauss, who was doing the job on an interim basis following Ashley Giles' departure. He will also immediately resign as Sky Sports broadcaster.
The ECB said in a press release: “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.”
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Tom Harrison, ECB Chief Executive Officer said: “Following a thorough recruitment process, Rob stood out in a very competitive field. His passion and knowledge of the game at the domestic and international level is outstanding. He is a proven leader and combines an approachable nature with fresh original thinking and resilience which will stand him in good stead.
He will bring a lot to the role and I am sure players and staff alike will enjoy working with Rob. I have no doubt he will relish the challenge before us.”
On his appointment, Key stated: “It is an absolute honor 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 to shape the next great era of English men's cricket.”
The further said, “I have absolutely loved my time at Sky and I could never have imagined leaving were it not for this incredible opportunity. I'd like to personally thank Bryan Henderson and everyone in the team for their help and support. 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.”
Key concluded, “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.”
(With PTI Inputs)
