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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

Kevin Pietersen backs Rob Key to "fix the mess that is the England Test side"

Kevin Pietersen believes Rob Key is the "perfect" candidate to become England 's new managing director.

England are in a state of limbo at the moment, with no permanent chairman, managing director or head coach. Former managing director Ashley Giles was axed following a humiliating Ashes defeat and the ECB are planning to appoint his replacement later this month.

And former batter Key, who has worked as a pundit and commentator with Sky Sports since his retirement in 2015, is among the contenders. It has been widely reported Key is in the running for the job and he confirmed his interest while commentating on the third Test between Pakistan and Australia.

When asked about the reports, Key replied: "There's a lot of speculation around, there's a lot of jobs up for grabs in English cricket. A fair few people have been asked, a fair few people are going for these jobs.

"The thing I have is that you have to weigh up how much golf you can get in doing some of these. For me, the lifestyle thing is the big issue."

And Pietersen believes Key would be a valuable asset to England as they embark on their so-called 'red ball reset'. "Away from the IPL, the ECB are attempting to fix the mess that is the England Test side at the moment," Pietersen wrote in his latest Betway blog.

Kevin Pietersen believes Key would be "perfect" for the role (Getty Images)

"They are looking for a Managing Director to reset English cricket, and I think that Rob Key, who has been linked with the role, would be perfect for it. Knowing him as I do, particularly from sitting around the commentary box with him, he has a very good cricketing brain and deals with people very well.

"He understands situations and I think he would be a very smart operator. Everybody knows my views on the structure of English cricket and how it needs to change. I believe Rob Key would be willing to make the big decisions and has a clear idea of what cricket should look like in this country.

"The structure is what needs to change. I don’t care who the captain is, I don’t care who the coach is. Nobody would do better than Joe Root or Paul Collingwood with this crop of players. The reset needs to start at the ECB offices, not on the cricket field."

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