ROBERT KEY’S championship run fest against Surrey at Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week has failed to sufficiently impress England’s selectors who have again overlooked the Kent batsman for their next two international squads.

Despite scores of 112 and 189 in the four-day draw at the Nevill, the right-hander from Beckenham has been omitted from the side to play Bangladesh in Thursday’s second Test at The Riverside as well as the NatWest Series party for the one-day international triangular series from June 13.

Though Key was mentioned in despatches by England’s chairman of selectors David Graveney, they have kept faith with Ian Bell and veteran Graham Thorpe, despite his announcement to quit Test cricket at the end of the summer.

Graveney said: "Graham's experience and achievements are well documented, but he will know he has to maintain his form throughout the summer, as all the batsmen do.

"There are a lot of pretenders out there - Kevin Pietersen being one, Robert Key another - who are challenging for those spots.”

Key’s county colleague Geraint Jones retains his place in both squads.

England Test squad: M Vaughan (capt), M Trescothick, A Strauss, I Bell, G Thorpe, A Flintoff, G Jones (wkt), G Batty, M Hoggard, S Jones, S Harmison, J Lewis.

NatWest Series squad: M Vaughan (capt), M Trescothick, G Jones (wkt), A Strauss, V Solanki, K Pietersen, A Flintoff, P Collingwood, A Giles, Kabir Ali, D Gough, S Harmison, S Jones, J Lewis.