Key named in Wisdenís county team of the decade

By Mark Pennell
CLUB captain Rob Key (pictured)experienced mixed fortunes this week as he and those Kent players still in the UK continued their pre-season practice sessions and fitness work in the Kent Cricket Academy.
After Thursday’s net sessions I had the happy task of telling Key hehad been chosen in the The Wisden Cricketermagazine’s county team of the decade selected by Sussex all-rounder and WCM contributor Robin Martin-Jenkins, possibly with a little help from his father Christopher, the former cricket correspondent of The Times and Daily Telegraph.
The XI has Key opening the batting with Nick Knight and forming a dream-team top order for the ’noughties’ that includes Mark Ramprakash, Murray Goodwin, Stuart Law and Chris Adams.
On hearing news of his selection Key said: “I wasn“t aware I“d been included until you told me, but sure it“s very nice to be thought of in that way.
“These are the type of things that you look back on at the end of career, things you can take a bit of pride in.
“Being touted in the past by people for the England captaincy and being in this select team of the decade are the sort of things I“ll focus on at the end of my playing days. Hopefully then it“ll sink in and I“ll look back at it with great pride.
The news came two days after Key missed out on winning a lucrative spot in this year“s Indian Premier League.
Despite having been asked to make himself available for the auction process at the starting price of $50,000, Key missed out as the franchises plumped for Eoin Morgan and Michael Lumb instead.
Key, phlegmatic as always, said: “I never really considered going into the IPL if I“m honest because I“m no longer an England player, but then I got a call from someone involved in the auction process on behalf of one of the franchises, who apparently wanted to put me in the auction themselves.
“It didn“t get down to the stage of talking to anyone else and I wasn“t really sure who wanted me or anything, which was a bit bizarre, but it was starting to sound quite promising.
“Just as I was starting to think something might happen, it didn“t so it all made for a very strange week. It might have been a nice bonus had it happened, but more importantly for me it would have been a great
experience and might have helped put me back on the map internationally.”

Picture:Getty Images