England Cricket Managing Director: Former opening batter Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role, Alec Stewart pulls out

England Cricket Managing Director -Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role: Ex-England opener Rob Key has emerged as a surprise contender in the race for the new managing director of the England team after Alec Stewart ruled himself out of the running on Wednesday. Stewart will not be pursuing the position for family reasons however and will remain as director of cricket at Surrey. Follow Live Updates on Insidesport.IN

England Cricket Managing Director: Former opening batter Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role, Alec Stewart pulls out

The managing director’s position is being filled on an interim basis by Andrew Strauss, whose first job is to make a permanent appointment to replace Ashley Giles, sacked last month following England’s 4-0 defeat in the Ashes.

England Cricket Managing Director: Former opening batter Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role, Alec Stewart pulls out

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The Ashes-winning captain had also worked mainly in the media before taking up the role, so he may not consider Key’s inexperience to be a problem if he feels his former England team-mate has the right credentials for the job.

England Cricket Managing Director: Former opening batter Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role, Alec Stewart pulls out

The 42-year-old, who is a reputed broadcaster with Sky Sports, Key would be a left-field choice for a job that offers overall control of the men’s England team.

England Cricket Managing Director: Former opening batter Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role, Alec Stewart pulls out

‘In this new era we will probably go for a split coaching set-up with one coach for Test cricket and one for white-ball cricket, while we’ll probably have some form of selection panel back,’ Key told Sky Sports. ‘That’s the complete opposite of what Silverwood was asked to do. He was given an impossible task.’

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Key captained Kent for seven years in a long playing career, playing 15 Tests and five one-day internationals for England.

England Cricket Managing Director: Former opening batter Rob Key likely to take over England Cricket MD role, Alec Stewart pulls out