Key revels in leading role

Rob Key marshals his MCC troops to good effect during the domestic season curtain-raiser at Lord's

Rob Key is relishing the opportunity to put his captaincy skills to the test once more when he leads England Lions out against West Indies later this month.

The Kent skipper will take charge of England’s second string side for the four-day warm-up game at Derby which starts on April 30, having impressed in the role on the winter tour of New Zealand and as MCC captain against Durham in the domestic season curtain-raiser.

The County Ground clash not only represents West Indies’ final match before the npower Test series gets under way, but provides the Lions players with a chance to press their claims for senior honours in front of the England selectors.

While the rest of the team will deal solely in the currency of runs and wickets, Key will hope to use the County Ground as a canvas upon which to showcase his leadership credentials.

He admits skippering a representative side poses its own problems, especially with possible Test honours at stake, but it is a challenge he finds invigorating.

“It’s pretty tough to do it on a one-off basis because I’ve not spent much time with the lads lately,” Key told ecb.co.uk.

"The 10 other guys that are playing will all be looking to make an impression, and I have to make sure everyone gets a game.

“But it’s nice to captain a new bunch of lads, guys you play against on the county circuit. It’s something fresh.

“You have got to learn pretty quickly - learn what makes them tick, make them enjoy themselves and bring the best out of them.”

Handling players is a facet of captaincy which fascinates Key, and he holds former Hampshire captain Shane Warne up as the finest example of someone capable of inspiring his charges to greater heights.

Key's ambitions to make a name for himself as an England batsman - rather than captain - still burn bright

“I see captaincy as three parts: leading by the way you play, tactically in terms of decisions and, just as important as the other two, man-management of the players," Key added.

“That’s such a huge part of captaincy. It is tough, sort of like being an all-rounder, and you have to worry about other people's games as well as your own.

“But then again, if I don’t do well with the bat I can still influence the game in the field, and it’s great to see a decision come off.”

Key has won many plaudits during his time in charge of Kent – he captained them to Twenty20 Cup glory in 2007 and steered them to two one-day finals last summer, although they suffered relegation from the LV= County Championship – and national selector Geoff Miller this week hailed his leadership in New Zealand as “outstanding”.

It is a measure of his standing in the game that he is seen by many respected observers as a potential England skipper for the World Twenty20 later this summer.

But, while Key, who turns 30 next month, is humbled by the praise showered on him, he remains determined to make a name for himself as an international batsman in his own right.

“It’s nice to be putting on some England, and captaining the side is a great honour,” he added. “But it’s not the senior England side.

“When I was younger I always wanted to be known as a great England player, not a great England captain or even a great captain.

“The recognition is nice now, but I still want to be known as a batsman who scored lots of runs, not just as a good captain.”