When Joe Root stood on that podium at the conclusion of the West Indies series last March, I don’t think any one of us would have predicted that less than a year later we’d have won 10 Test matches out of 11, chased down some ridiculous targets, scored over 500 runs on day 1 of a Test match in Pakistan, and declared on day 1 of a Test match in New Zealand – having lost the toss.‘Bazball’, ‘Benball’, however you want to term it, has been transformational. And that’s a word that rarely gets used when discussing English cricket – in a positive sense anyway. Maybe, just maybe, County cricket isn’t quite as poor as many spelt out – we just need to schedule it better!Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes, and all the players deserve all the credit. Well, almost…One man rarely gets mentioned, Rob Key. To be fair he probably likes it that way.
When Ashley Giles was relieved of his duties, following the Ashes debacle down under, none of us would have chosen Rob Key – Sky Sports commentator, the butt of Nasser’s jokes – on our shortlist of options.When you think back though, and hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Strauss’ thinking was spot on. Key’s close mate was the late Shane Warne and they clearly thought about the game in the same way. Key’s views on the game were always spot on in the commentary box. So he was worthy of a conversation and no doubt blew Strauss away in the interviewing process.And what a job he’s done. While Stokes was an obvious pick as captain, the same couldn’t be said of McCullum. Many others, myself included, would have gone with Kirsten or Langer. Both are outstanding coaches. Both would have brought a style that we all thought the side needed after the challenges of last winter. But Key clearly had a plan. A different plan. And McCullum was his left field selection.Key is just as important as Stokes and McCullum. Can you imagine how fascinating those selection meetings must be?The other thing I like about Key is he doesn’t crave the limelight.I’m not saying his predecessors necessarily did, but Key just gets on with it. He enjoys being in the background. As England have won Test after Test, Key has kept himself in the background. I also like it when you see footage or photos from Lions games and again, you see Key there, but never front and centre. Whenever he’s interviewed on TV or radio, he speaks honestly and openly, not as the usual media trained ECB suit. But you can tell he’s tough and would make a ruthless call if needed.McCullum and Stokes have got us all excited about this summer’s Ashes, but let’s never forget the influence of Key. Yes, I know, ‘Keyball’ sounds s*it!
We’re on a journey that none of us would have dreamed of 12 month’s ago, I just hope the ECB commission a high performance review, but this time on the performances of McCullum, Stokes AND Key, so none of their magic is ever lost for future generations of coaches, captains AND administrators.Rob Key – thank you.