Kent are on the verge of a new era with skipper Rob Key set to step away from the opening batsman role he has occupied for his entire county career.

In their opening warm-up match of the season at Hampshire this week, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly opened the batting, with Key in the line-up at No.3 and assistant coach Matt Walker confirmed that could be the order for the opening LV= County Championship game at Essex on Sunday, April 19.

Key did pass 18,000 first class runs last summer and his career average remains above 40, however he scored just 157 runs in his final eight championship innings last year – with ducks in two of his last three knocks – ending the season with under 600 championship runs at an average of just 22.

Walker said: “We have talked about the top of the order, towards the back end of last year and in pre-season.

“Rob has to come off the field after a long spell of, not only fielding but constant thinking and making decisions and then go straight out there again to open. I think it has taken a toll on his batting.

“Him coming in at three gives him extra time to switch off for a few minutes, gather his thoughts in the changing room a little and get himself ready.”

Key, who turns 36 next month, is more than a decade removed from his last experience batting at No.3, for England, in the last of his 15 Test caps over a two-and-a-half year spell.

During that period he did score his Test best of 221 against the West Indies at Lord’s in that position, in 2004.

Walker added: “Opening is a specific position. Rob has opened all his life and done it exceptionally well but he did bat at three for England and even batting at three you can still be out there in the first over.

“I know it’s only pre-season but Joe looked in fantastic nick out there (at Southampton). He started his career at the top of the order and he’s opened for England. We know what he can do there.

“You don’t know what might happen between now and the first game, but those two looked great out there and gave us real confidence.”

Kent’s 13-man squad for the two-day match at the Ageas included Matt Coles, who has been struggling with a back injury, but missed Ben Harmison, who could be out until the end of May with a knee problem.

Walker added: “We have only got one practice game and I would imagine, all being well, that the Loughborough University game (Sunday-Tuesday at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence) is going to come pretty close to the team for the first match.”