KENT cricket and Robert Key have been inextricably linked since the young Colfe’s School prodigy was tall enough to pick up a cricket bat – little wonder then that Key has been made the 31st captain in the county’s rich history.

Key’s mother Lynn, a teacher and seam bowler for Kent Ladies, was testing Rob’s batting skills in the nets when he was barely 10 and, by the age of 12, young Key was touring Holland with the county under-13 side.

A skipper by the age of 16, he led England Under-17s to success in an international youth tournament in Bermuda, Key now becomes Kent's youngest captain since 1957 when Colin Cowdrey started his tenure as a 24-year-old and, in terms of purely "professional" players, the youngest ever non-amateur leader since the county’s formation in 1870.

Though he has always harboured hopes of leadership, Key has never gone out of his way to court popularity with the club’s officers and committee men, preferring instead to let his bat do the talking for both club and country.

In his first major interview since taking over the helm from David Fulton, Key said he perceives captaincy as the next lesson in his cricketing education.

The England right-hander said: "Even after David resigned it was by no means a foregone conclusion that I would get the job or that I might take it. But once I knew I had Graham Ford’s backing and, having talked it through with Min Patel, I sort of knew that now was my time.

"I have always thought that captaincy was something I would love to try, but I also believed it was a role that should be offered rather than me making a big song and dance about wanting it.

"Min and I have spent countless hours driving up and down motorways on our way to matches talking about what we felt was right or wrong with Kent cricket and I guess you could say it’s now time for me to put my money where my mouth is."

Key describes Patel, his new vice-captain, as the best England-qualified spinner in the county game, but more importantly he values him as a close friend and as one of the shrewdest cricketers in the land.

"Min has been a huge player for this club down the years. It was vital for me to know that he wanted to stay here and play a full part in what I hope will be something good happening at Kent. We have a good squad with a lot of young players and I think that with a united spirit we can move forward as a team.

"Even though Kent have had a tough year financially the club has still shown signs that they too want to move forward, to move up a level rather than just simply cut their losses.

"Any professional sportsman will tell you, that sort of forward thinking is an attractive and vital facet for any club to have, and I’m no different, to have those kind of assurances was important to me taking on the captaincy."

Key also points out that, far from sounding the death knell to his England career, he perceives his elevation to captaincy as a potential way back into the Test team.

He has seen Andrew Strauss move up from Middlesex leadership to become an England regular and feels that assuming similar responsibilities at Kent will sit favourably with the Test selectors.

"This doesn’t mean my England career is going on the back burner, in fact, I hope it’s just one of many factors that will help keep me in the selectors’ thoughts.

"I’m hoping the added responsibility of captaincy will give an edge to my game that I didn’t have previously and that, together with improved fitness and maintaining my run scoring, will earn me another run in the England side.

"It’s also nice to go into the job knowing I have the backing of our chairman of cricket Graham Johnson and our director Graham Ford, which at least means I have a decent start.

"I’m really looking forward to developing a relationship with ‘Fordy’ and with Min and working out a clear management structure that leaves no one in any doubt as to accountability and who is responsible for what.

"I’m under no illusions, there will be some tough decisions and maybe some difficult days ahead of us, but I will listen to my players. Although I consider myself an experienced cricketer now, I’m not so stubborn as to rule out the views of others or another player’s opinion.

"I will fight for my players to make sure they are happy and, in turn, I would like to think I will go out onto the field knowing I have the 10 other players right behind me."