Robert William Trevor Key (born 12 May 1979) is an English former cricketer and cricket commentator who played
international
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
in all formats for
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and domestic cricket for
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ken ...
. He is the current managing director of the
England Cricket team
The England men's cricket team represents cricket in England, England and cricket in Wales, Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Maryleb ...
.
A right-handed
opening batsman
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batters play through their team's innings, there always being two batters taking part at any one time. All eleven players in a team are required to bat if the innings is completed (i.e., if ...
, Key made appearances at age-group level for Kent from the age of eleven, moving up until he made his
first-class debut in 1998. He made eight first-class and four List A appearances for England's youth sides, and was a member of the side that won the
1998 Under-19 Cricket World Cup
The 1998 MTN ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament played in South Africa from 11 January to 1 February 1998. Sponsored by the MTN Group, it was the second edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cu ...
. Following a season of heavy run-scoring, Key was called up to the
England A side in 1999.
Following an injury to
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick (born 25 December 1975) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England cricket team, England in 76 Test cricket, Test matches and 123 One Day In ...
, Key made his Test debut against
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
in 2002. He toured Australia during the
2002–03 Ashes series
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
, where he justified his selection ahead of a more experienced player. His One Day International debut came in 2003, against
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
, however he was dropped from both squads shortly after. Injury to
Mark Butcher
Mark Alan Butcher (born 23 August 1972) is an English cricket commentator and former English Test cricketer, who played county cricket for Surrey from 1992 until his retirement in 2009. He was a left-handed batsman, and occasional right-arm medi ...
allowed Key back into the England side for the series against
the West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island countries and 19 dependencies in three archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser An ...
in 2004. He scored his maiden Test
hundred
100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101.
In mathematics
100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
in the first match of the series, which later became his maiden first-class double century as he scored 221. This performance, coupled with the 93 he scored in the third Test, earned him recognition as one of the five
''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year. Key's last Test matches came during England's tour of South Africa during 2004–05, where he managed to score 152 runs without being consistent, and despite a one-match return during the
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was the second edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20 that took place in England in June 2009. As before, the tournament featured 12 male teams – nine of the ten Test cricket, ...
, he has remained on the fringes of selection.
Key became Kent captain following the
2006 English cricket season
The 2006 English cricket season was the 107th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It included home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England came off a winter with more Test losses th ...
, following
David Fulton's resignation. He led Kent to a County Championship 2nd Division Championship title in 2010, two
Twenty20 Cup
The T20 Blast, officially known as the Vitality Blast for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. The competition was established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003. T20 Blast is ...
Finals Day appearances and a
Friends Provident Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.
It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class cricket, first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scott ...
final. He resigned as Kent captain following the
2012 English cricket season
The 2012 English cricket season was the 113th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 31 March with a round of university matches, and continued until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 15 September. T ...
and
James Tredwell
James Cullum Tredwell (born 27 February 1982) is an English former international cricketer. A left-handed batsman and a right-arm off break bowler, he played his domestic cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and was appointed as County Captain f ...
became club captain. Key only had one season off as captain as Tredwell then himself resigned and Key was named as his replacement, captaining the county for another two years until the end of the 2015 season.
In April 2016, Key announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
Key was a regular commentator on
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British broadcasting of sports events, subscription sports channels operated by the satellite television, satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television ...
' TV coverage of county cricket while still a player at Kent, and after retiring he worked as a pundit and commentator for a variety of media outlets, including
GTV and
SEN. On 17 April 2022, he was appointed as the managing director of the England men's cricket team, stepping down from all of his media commitments.
Early and personal life
Born in
East Dulwich
East Dulwich is an area of South (London sub region), South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. East Dulwich is home to the Dog Kenn ...
, London, to parents Trevor and Lynn,
Key was raised in a particularly sporting family: his mother played for Kent's ladies cricket side, his father played club cricket in
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
and his sister Elizabeth played for her junior school side, where she once took a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
.
Key himself was a keen all-round sportsman; he also played
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
for Kent.
He attended Worsley Bridge Primary School where the school won both the Bromley area and Kent cricket Cups. His performances led to his inclusion in the county under-elevens, before
Alan Ealham, coach of
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ken ...
's youth sides, became his mentor.
Later he attended
Colfe's School
Colfe's School, previously Colfe's Grammar School, is a co-educational private day school in Horn Park in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, in southeast London, England, and one of the oldest schools in London. The school is a member of the Headm ...
in
Lee
Lee may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film
* ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film
* ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist
* ''L ...
, London, and
Langley Park School for Boys in
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...
, where he passed ten
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...
s.
Key has often been criticized for his weight, and at one stage early in his career weighed 16
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
before
Alec Stewart
Alec James Stewart (born 8 April 1963) is an English former cricketer, and former captain of the England cricket team, who played Test cricket and One Day Internationals as a right-handed wicket-keeper-batsman. He is the fifth-most- capped En ...
told him to "buck his ideas up".
Key himself said of the matter: "I'll never be the most athletic-looking bloke, but I'm a hell of a lot fitter than I was at 19 or 20."
Key is married to Fleur, with whom he has two children.
Youth and early career
Key played his first matches for Kent's
second eleven in 1995, at the age of sixteen. He remained a regular in the second team throughout the 1996 season and first half of the 1997 season, by which time he had hit his first two centuries for a Kent representative side; an
unbeaten 146 against
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
's second team, and an unbeaten 139 against
Glamorgan
Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...
's seconds.
Following on from those performances, Key joined the England Under-17 squad for the International Youth Tournament, which was being held in
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
. Key's growing reputation as a batsman was greatly enhanced by his performances in this tournament, where he finished with the second highest
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
of anyone at the tournament, scoring 184 runs at an average of 48. Key's performances helped England win the tournament by a single point from Ireland's Under-17s.
Key returned to England for two matches with Kent's second team, before joining up with
England's Under-19s for a youth Test series against
Zimbabwe's under-19s. In the three Test series, Key made two half-centuries, earning himself a place in the squad for the
1998 Under-19 Cricket World Cup
The 1998 MTN ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup was an international limited-overs cricket tournament played in South Africa from 11 January to 1 February 1998. Sponsored by the MTN Group, it was the second edition of the Under-19 Cricket World Cu ...
in South Africa. Batting at the top of the order throughout, Key scored a total of 206 runs as England won the tournament, with his best performance coming in the defeat to
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, where Key scored 57.
Following a
first-class debut against
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
at the beginning of the 1998 season, in which Key scored 15, he proceeded to play a near-complete season. He scored his first first-class century against
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
, scoring 101 in an innings victory. He added a second century (115) against
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, before rejoining the England under-19 squad for the series against
Pakistan under-19s. He struggled in the one-day series, scoring just 36 runs in three matches, but finished as the top run-scorer in the youth Tests; with 377 at an average of 62.83.
Domestic career
The
1999 season began for Key with a call up to
England A's tour of
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
through January and February. He struggled for runs throughout his five matches on the tour, failing to pass 26 in any innings. In all, Key managed one century in the calendar year, 125 against
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, and finished the year with 1,309 runs in all competitions. The
2000 season proved even more disappointing, with just 700 runs at an average of less than 20.
The
2001 English cricket season saw Key's form improve, with him scoring four first-class centuries; including one against the touring
Pakistani
Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
s. His highest score of the season and career to date would come in the final game—he scored 132 in a rain-affected match against
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. His scoring throughout the season persuaded the national selectors to include him in the National Academy, which went on a winter tour of Australia, where he showed his ability with an innings of 177 against the side's Australian counterparts.
He continued his good form into
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, where his run-scoring earned him an invitation to play for the
Marylebone Cricket Club
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...
against the
Sri Lankans
This is a demography of the population of Sri Lanka including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the population, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Sri Lanka is an island in th ...
. He scored 77 in a drawn match, and would later that season make his Test match debut against India. However, following his Test debut, he only passed 50 on one further occasion that year. He would maintain his place in the Test side against Zimbabwe the following year, despite only scoring one innings of note—129 against the
Cambridge students. However, after being dropped from the side, Key's form seemed to improve: he scored 140 against Nottinghamshire to set up a Kent victory, and consistently scored around 40 runs per innings for the remainder of the season.
The
2004 English cricket season
The 2004 English cricket season was the 105th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. England recorded a 4–0 Test series whitewash over the West Indies and a comfortable 3–0 win over New Zealand. Their one-day for ...
saw Key hit top form for the first time, scoring a total of 2,486 runs in all competitions. This total included a "majestic" unbeaten 118 in the opening game of the season against Gloucestershire, during which Key did not offer a single chance throughout.
He reached the thousand run milestone for the season on 2 June, the earliest date the milestone had been reached since 1978,
and went on a run that included five centuries in seven innings.
He was then recalled to the England squad for the series against the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, and Key played two key innings: 221 at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...
, and his second innings 93 not out to win the third Test for England. Following the series Key returned to the domestic scene, and finished the season with two further tons; 131 against both
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
and
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
.
Following the winter international series in South Africa, Key returned to domestic action with Kent. While not having as successful a season as in the previous year, he still scored over 1,500 runs. This included two centuries in the same match against
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, during the second of which he shared a
county third-wicket record partnership of 323 with
Martin van Jaarsveld
Martin van Jaarsveld (born 18 June 1974) is a former South African cricketer who played nine Tests and eleven One Day Internationals for South Africa between 2002 and 2004. Van Jaarsveld is a specialist middle-order batsman, though he has two w ...
. At the end of the season, Key was named the new county captain following the resignation of
David Fulton, a role he took on in order to help his chances of regaining a place in the England side.
His first season as captain saw his form slide, as Kent's chairman of cricket
Graham Johnson related at the end of the season: "His commitment to the team has probably impacted on his own form". Nonetheless, he was given the captaincy of the England A team in their fixture against Pakistan, and led Kent to fifth place in the top tier of the
County Championship
The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...
. The following season saw Key lead Kent to silverware, whilst returning to some of his best form. He struck a total of eight centuries, and amassed a total of 2,267 runs in all competitions, whilst also leading Kent to the finals day of the 2007
Twenty20 Cup
The T20 Blast, officially known as the Vitality Blast for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. The competition was established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003. T20 Blast is ...
, in which Kent defeated Sussex and Gloucestershire to claim the trophy. However, Key was later found guilty of "serious dissent" following his controversial dismissal in the final.
He continued his run-scoring into 2008, where he scored an unbeaten 178 against the touring New Zealanders to "lift himself firmly into the Test reckoning". Following
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan (born 29 October 1974) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He served as England cricket captain, England captain for the England test team, test team from 2003 to 2008 ...
's resignation as England captain, Key was touted by the some in the media as a potential candidate for the job. However, the season ended badly for Key, as under his captaincy Kent were relegated to the second tier of the County Championship for the first time, with Key also being fined
£1,250 for comments he made over an ECB pitch panel decision in August.
Key took his first
wicket
In the sport of cricket, the term wicket has several meanings:
* It is either of the two sets of three Stump (cricket), stumps and two Bail (cricket), bails at each end of the Cricket pitch, pitch. The Fielding (cricket), fielding team's playe ...
in first-class cricket on the final day of Kent's draw with
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
at the start of the 2009 season. He went on to score 1,209 runs that season, with four centuries including a career-best 270*, at 50.37 runs per innings. It was the sixth time he had passed one thousand runs in a season. He came close to beating this score the following season when, on 17 May 2010, he scored 261 against
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England
**County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States
Durham may also refer to:
Places
...
. He had, until that match, struggled with the bat—averaging only 14.30 in the County Championship.
He announced his retirement from the game on 18 April 2016, citing his desire to not "hinder younger players
oming through and focus on coaching and his role with Sky Sports as a television pundit.
International career
India in England, 2002
Key made his Test match debut in the second Test against
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
in 2002, as a replacement for
Marcus Trescothick
Marcus Edward Trescothick (born 25 December 1975) is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England cricket team, England in 76 Test cricket, Test matches and 123 One Day In ...
, who had broken his thumb. Chairman of selectors
David Graveney
David Anthony Graveney (born 2 January 1953) is a leading figure in English cricket and the Graveney dynasty, former chairman of the England Test selectors, a post he held from 1997 until 2008. Graveney attended Millfield School in Somerset.
...
said Key was selected because of his "outstanding form for Kent after attending the National Academy" over the winter. Opening the batting with
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan (born 29 October 1974) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He served as England cricket captain, England captain for the England test team, test team from 2003 to 2008 ...
, Key made 17
runs in his only innings before being
bowled
In cricket, the term bowled has several meanings. First, it is the act of propelling the ball towards the wicket defended by a batter.
Second, it is a method of dismissing a batter, by hitting the wicket with a ball delivered by the bowler. ...
by
Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra (; born 29 April 1979) is an Indian cricket coach and former cricketer who played in all formats of the game. Nehra announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in late 2017, with the Twenty20 International match against Ne ...
. Retained in the side for the third Test, Key managed scores of 30 and 34 as England succumbed to an innings defeat. However, his performance was marred by him dropping three catches. Key was dropped from the fourth and final Test, with Trescothick replacing him having been rushed back from injury.
England in Australia, 2002–03
After success in domestic cricket and promise shown in his Test appearances previously, Key was selected as part of the squad to play Australia. Despite playing well in a
limited overs match against an
ACB Chairman's XI; hitting 68, he was not selected to play in the first Test, instead acting as
twelfth man. He ended up fielding to a greater extent than he would have imagined, after
Simon Jones ruptured knee ligaments while fielding, and took no further part in the match.
Brought back into the side for the second Test for the injured
John Crawley
John Paul Crawley (born 21 September 1971) is a former English first-class cricketer who played at international level for England and county cricket for Hampshire and Lancashire. Crawley, one of three brothers who all played first-class cric ...
, Key made a solitary run in the first innings, batting at number three, before being
caught
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground.
If the catch ...
off the bowling of
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne (13 September 1969 – 4 March 2022) was an Australian international cricketer whose career ran from 1992 to 2007. Warne played as a right-arm leg spin bowler and a lower-order right-handed batter for Victoria, Hampshire ...
just after the lunch break. Relegated to number five in the second innings, with
Mark Butcher
Mark Alan Butcher (born 23 August 1972) is an English cricket commentator and former English Test cricketer, who played county cricket for Surrey from 1992 until his retirement in 2009. He was a left-handed batsman, and occasional right-arm medi ...
and
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain (born 28 March 1968) is an English cricket commentator and former player who captained the England cricket team between 1999 and 2003, with his overall international career extending from 1990 to 2004. A pugnacious right-hande ...
batting ahead of him, he again made just one before being caught off
Andy Bichel
Andrew John Bichel (born 27 August 1970) is a former Australian cricketer, who played 19 Test cricket, Test matches and 67 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1997 and 2004. He was a right-arm fast-medium Bowler (cricket), bowler, but ...
.
Key fared better in the third match, played at the
WACA Ground
The WACA Ground () is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA).
The WACA has been referred to as Western Australia' ...
in
Perth
Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
. On a
pitch with "exceptional bounce and pace",
Key was the only English batsman to keep his wicket intact for a prolonged period, batting passively for 47, the highest score of the innings. He then caught
Brett Lee
Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is an Australian former international cricketer, who played all three formats of the game. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the world. With his time representin ...
at third man in Australia's only innings, before offering Hussain "stout support" in making 23 second time around.
England lost the Test match by an innings and 48 runs, a result that ensured that Australia retained
the Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played biennially between England and Australia. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, '' The Sporting Times'', immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval, ...
.
Following a break for the first part of the
VB Series
The Australian Tri-Series was an annual one day international (ODI) cricket tournament held in Australia, and contested by Australia and two touring teams.
The series was the primary format for international one-day cricket throughout most of ...
of One Day Internationals, England moved to
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
for the fourth Test. Unfortunately for Key, he fell for a duck in the first innings, trapped
leg before wicket
Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a Batting (cricket), batter can be dismissal (cricket), dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an Appeal (cricket), appeal by the Fielding (cricket), fielding side, the umpire (cricket), ...
(lbw) second ball by
fast bowler
Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is a type of bowling in cricket, in which the ball is delivered at high speed. The fastest bowlers bowl the ball at over . Practitioners of fast bowling are known as fast bowlers or quicks. Also ...
Brett Lee. With England
following on
In cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team who batted f ...
, Key made a maiden half-century to ensure Australia had to bat again. He eventually fell just after the new ball was taken, caught at
second slip for 52.
The final Test, played at the
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...
, saw England attempting to avoid a series
whitewash
Whitewash, calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, asbestis or lime paint is a type of paint made from slaked lime ( calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2) or chalk (calcium carbonate, CaCO3), sometimes known as "whiting". Various other additives are sometimes ...
. Key scored three runs in England's first innings, before falling lbw to an innocuous half-volley from
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler, Waugh is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. ...
, playing in his last Ashes Test. He scored 14 in his final innings of the tour, before being caught at midwicket, however England had nearly 350 runs on the board by that stage and were on track to complete a consolatory victory. The 2004 edition of the
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...
recorded that Key had "justified his selection ahead of an older player, like
Mark Ramprakash
Mark Ravin Ramprakash (born 5 September 1969) is an English former cricketer and cricket coach.
Outside of cricket, Ramprakash won the Strictly Come Dancing series 4, fourth series of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2006. He is currently the Pr ...
, but did not cement his place".
Zimbabwe and South Africa in England, 2003
Despite a low-scoring start to the
2003 English cricket season
The 2003 English cricket season was the 104th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It was notable for the first official County Championship of the oldest county club, Sussex, and the first Twenty20 championship, th ...
, in which he passed 40 only once in his first seven innings of the season, he kept his place in the Test side for the visit of the touring
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
ans. Batting at number five in both Tests, Key failed to make much of an impact, scoring 18 runs in the first match and four in the second. He had reason to feel aggrieved at his first Test dismissal—umpire
Steve Bucknor
Stephen Anthony Bucknor, OJ (born 31 May 1946) is a Jamaican former international cricket umpire.
Bucknor umpired in a record 128 Test matches between 1989 and 2009, and also umpired in 181 One Day Internationals during this period, includ ...
gave him out caught behind, despite Key not hitting the ball.
His inclusion in the
One Day International
One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...
(ODI) squad for the following
NatWest Series
The NatWest Series is the name used for One Day International cricket tournaments held in England since 2000. The tournaments are sponsored by the National Westminster Bank.
2000 to 2005: triangular series
The original format of the NatWest Seri ...
against Zimbabwe and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
owed more to the lack of available players than his own form; he had only passed 40 on one occasion going into the series. Key made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the tournament; he scored 11 before falling to the left-arm spin of
Ray Price
Noble Ray Price (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2013) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone is regarded as among the best male voices of country music, and his innovations, such as prope ...
. Key only played one more match in the series; against South Africa he fell for a
golden duck taking a "wild swing" at the first ball he received from
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini (born 6 July 1977) is a South African former professional cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He was the first Black people, black player to play for the South African national cricket team. Ntini was a member of the So ...
. Following England's qualification into the final of the tournament, Key was released from the squad "to have some match-practice in the longer form of the game ahead of the Test series" against South Africa. However, Key did not make an appearance in the series.
West Indies in England, 2004
Key returned to the Test match side after an excellent start to the
2004 season. He reached 1,000 runs for the season by 2 June, the earliest date the milestone had been reached for 16 years, and had a run of five centuries in seven innings.
However, his limited-overs form was not as good—he passed fifty only once all season. Despite this, he was called into the squad for the NatWest Series against
the West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island countries and 19 dependencies in three archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser An ...
and
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
Key's series began with the fifth match of the tournament; against the West Indies at
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
. With England chasing 160 to win, Key came in at 55 for one, but scored just six before being bowled by
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne John Bravo (born 7 October 1983) is a Trinidadian retired cricketer, a former captain of the West Indies cricket team and the current mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Prior to that, he served as a bowling c ...
. His only other appearance came against New Zealand towards the end of the group stage—Key scored 18 and was playing well before being caught behind.
His place in the Test side was ensured after
Mark Butcher
Mark Alan Butcher (born 23 August 1972) is an English cricket commentator and former English Test cricketer, who played county cricket for Surrey from 1992 until his retirement in 2009. He was a left-handed batsman, and occasional right-arm medi ...
pulled out, having been hit from behind in his car and sustaining a
whiplash injury.
Key took the opportunity, moving toward a maiden Test century with what ''Wisden'' described as "powerful driving and pulling".
He was dropped twice—
Chris Gayle
Christopher Henry Gayle (born 21 September 1979) is a Jamaican cricket team, Jamaican cricketer who has played international cricket for the West Indies cricket team, West Indies from 1999 to 2021. Nicknamed "The Universe Boss", Gayle is wide ...
parried an opportunity with Key on 16, while
Devon Smith
Devon Sheldon Smith (born 21 October 1981 in Hermitage, Saint Patrick Parish, Grenada) is a former cricketer who featured as an opening or top order left-handed batsman. He played for the West Indies and for the Windward Islands in regional ...
failed to dismiss him when on 58. Key maintained his concentration throughout, even after meeting
the Queen in a presentation during the tea interval.
He brought up his century with a
boundary off the bowling of
Fidel Edwards
Fidel Henderson Edwards (born 6 February 1982) is a Barbadian cricketer, who played all formats of the game. A pace bowler, his round-arm action is "not unlike" that of former fast bowler Jeff Thomson but similar to the bowling action of Lasith ...
, and by the end of the first day had reached 167
not out
In cricket, a batsman is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batsman is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at ...
. He continued positively on the second day, and brought up his maiden double century with four through square leg off
Pedro Collins
Pedro Tyrone Collins (born 12 August 1976) is a Barbadoan cricketer and coach, who played as a fast bowler for the West Indies.
Collins also featured for Barbados, Surrey and Middlesex in his cricketing career.
International career
As a left-h ...
. He was eventually dismissed when he "slashed a wide ball to
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely renowned as one of the greatest Batting (cricket), batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest in ...
at
backward point", having made 221. In the second innings, he was
run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in cricket, in which the fielding team put down the wicket of a batter who is outside their ground, usually because they are trying to score a run.
Run out is governed by Law 38 of the laws of cricket. If ...
by his captain
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan (born 29 October 1974) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He served as England cricket captain, England captain for the England test team, test team from 2003 to 2008 ...
, who went on to score his second century of the match.
The second Test saw Key struggling in the
corridor of uncertainty, a characteristic highlighted by Collins, who beat the bat on several occasions before finding the edge to dismiss him. His second innings lasted just seven balls before Key "chipped a simple catch to
mid-on", having scored just four.
Key's most valuable innings, according to ''Wisden'', came in the third Test. Despite only scoring six runs in the first innings, Key came to the crease for his second innings with England requiring another 216 runs to take a 3–0 lead in the series. Initially batting with Michael Vaughan, and then with
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff (born 6 December 1977), is an English television and radio presenter and former international cricketer. Flintoff played all forms of the game and was one of the sport's leading all-rounders, a fast bowler, middle-ord ...
, Key scored an unbeaten 93 to guide England to their target, which was a record fourth innings total to win an
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
Test. His series came to an end when he scored ten runs, in England's ten-wicket victory in the final Test.
Key's performances in the series and his domestic form earned him recognition—he was named as one of the five
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based "primarily for their influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in the 2005 edition.
England in South Africa, 2004–05
Following on from his performances during the series against the West Indies, Key was taken on England's tour of South Africa over the English close-season. However, with Mark Butcher returning to the side following injury, Key lost his place. This was despite him scoring 87 in a warm-up game against a
Nicky Oppenheimer XI, a match in which Butcher had scored just six. Returning to the side for the third Test after Butcher had sustained a wrist injury, Key made a duck in the first innings, before "defending resolutely" in accumulating 41 before being
stumped
Stumped is a method of Dismissal (cricket), dismissing a batter (cricket), batter in cricket, in which the wicket-keeper put down the wicket, puts down the wicket of the Glossary_of_cricket_terms#S, striker while the striker is out of their Bat ...
charging
Nicky Boje
Nico Boje ( ; born 20 March 1973) is a South African former cricketer who played in 43 Tests, 115 One Day Internationals and single Twenty20 International for South Africa. Boje was a member of the South Africa team that won the 1998 ICC KnockO ...
.
The fourth Test, played at
the Wanderers, saw Key hit 83, in a partnership of 182 with Andrew Strauss that ''Wisden'' described as including "hard-hitting support from Key". He added a further eighteen to his match tally in the second innings, a contribution which helped England to an eventual victory. Key returned single figure scores of one and nine in his two innings in the final Test, being dismissed by
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock (born 16 July 1973) is a South African cricket commentator and former cricketer, who was captain in all formats of the game. A bowling all-rounder, Pollock along with Allan Donald formed a bowling partnership for many year ...
on both occasions in a rain-affected draw.
ICC World Twenty20
Key briefly returned to international cricket for the
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was the second edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20 that took place in England in June 2009. As before, the tournament featured 12 male teams – nine of the ten Test cricket, ...
competition, playing his only
Twenty20 International
Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of Twenty20 cricket, in which each team plays a single innings with a maximum of twenty overs. The matches are played between international teams recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). ...
match against the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
during the tournament as a replacement for the injured
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a former England international cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest England batsmen to have played the game, and renowned for his competitive, and often controversial nature. He was a ri ...
. He scored 10
not out
In cricket, a batsman is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batsman is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at ...
from eight balls in a match where the Netherlands successfully chased their target from the final ball.
Career records and statistics
Test matches
Records:
*
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...
second wicket partnership record: 291 with
Andrew Strauss
Sir Andrew John Strauss (born 2 March 1977) is an English cricket administrator and former player, formerly the Director of Cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He played county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club, Middl ...
, 2004 v West Indies
*
Wanderers Stadium
The Wanderers Stadium, also known as the Bullring due to its intimidating atmosphere, is a cricket stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are ...
second wicket partnership record: 182 with Andrew Strauss, 2004–05 v South Africa
Test centuries:
Career performances:
One Day Internationals
Career performances:
Career Best Performances
Director of England cricket team
On 17 April 2022, he was appointed as the managing director of the England men's cricket team, stepping down from all of his media commitments. He appointed
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum (born 27 September 1981) is a former New Zealand cricketer, and the current head coach of the England men's cricket team in all formats. Representing New Zealand, he captained the team in all formats. McCullum was renow ...
as the coach of the Test Team, who instigated a more attacking form of play coined by the media as "
Bazball".
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Robert
1979 births
Living people
England Test cricketers
England One Day International cricketers
England Twenty20 International cricketers
English cricketers
Kent cricketers
Kent cricket captains
People educated at Colfe's School
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
People from East Dulwich
Cricketers from the London Borough of Southwark
NBC Denis Compton Award recipients
English cricket commentators
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
Conservative Party (UK) people
First-Class Counties Select XI cricketers