When Rob Key played his 15 Test matches for England, it was during the side’s rise from the gutter to the very top of the Test game.
The latter 10 of those matches included eight wins and one draw, as England charged up the rankings, eventually reaching No 1.
It would be inaccurate to suggest he played an essential role. He scored just the lone century – a double – in that time. But at least he was there while a transformation was taking place.
Now, after being named as the managing director of English cricket, he is tasked with bringing about just the same thing - raising a once proud side back to the top of the game.
Personal experience
Key’s appointment feels like a shot in the dark. He has always talked a very good game, both in the commentary box and in his newspaper column, yet has little management experience beyond his role as a captain of Kent in county cricket.
He does not fit the standard for a sports administrator. That might be no bad thing, but in his previous positions in the media he had all the power with no responsibility. There will certainly be pressure as he attempts to turn around a Test side in the doldrums.
His own playing experiences might prove valuable to draw on. He had a better career than the self-deprecating subtitle of his autobiography – “Tales of a Journeyman Cricketer” – would suggest.
Crucially, he was part of a highly successful England Test side, vacating the team just before they crested with the 2005 Ashes.
Captain
One of Key’s closest mates during his playing days with England was Andrew Flintoff. In the past, he has defended Flintoff’s own ill-fated captaincy stint, saying he was better than the reviews suggested and that he was handed the job at the worst time anyway.
Flintoff 2.0 – otherwise known as Ben Stokes – appears to be the only viable candidate to take over the job most recently vacated by Joe Root.
Along with Root, Stokes is one of the few guaranteed starters for England’s Test side – even if the captaincy would saddle an already overworked player with yet more responsibility.
Style of play
Stokes’ own experience of captaincy has been limited so far, and he appeared pretty unwilling to take the job on then, anyway.
This summer, England have the small matter of Tests against the world champions, New Zealand, then the postponed fifth game from last year against India.
Fashioning a match-winning side for two such exacting assignments feels a touch unlikely at present – a little like when Flintoff was given the reins of a bruised side in Australia in 2007 – and who were duly battered.
Long-term, though, Key is likely to favour a side committed to aggressive, attacking cricket. Perhaps the New Zealand side who first started their transformation under the bold leadership of Brendon McCullum will be the template.
Personnel
The idea that England’s teams are on separate pages when it comes to limited overs and Test cricket is summed up by their summer schedule.
Their ODI Super League series in the Netherlands finishes the day before the start of the third Test against New Zealand in Headingley.
Even a fit Stokes would struggle to keep up both those commitments.
Clearly, England’s white ball side – as 50-over world champions and realistic contenders in the T20 game – are the darlings of the game in the country.
Perhaps the Test side could benefit from pursuing players who are, it appears, well suited to the shorter formats.
The likes of Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook and even Will Smeed – who has played more Pakistan Super League matches than he has first-class ones in the UK – might have a future in whites.
Talking of the future, is that definitely now behind Stuart Broad and James Anderson? England’s two leading Test wicket-takers were unceremoniously dumped before England’s lost series in the Caribbean.
Anderson says he has made his peace with it, but that he is craving one more go at it.
In his previous guise as a commentator, Key had suggested they are holding back the development of new-ball bowlers for England – but also that they deserved a fitting send off.
Now he has the power to make that happen, will he push for a recall for the two old greats?
Pakistan squad
Sarfraz (c), Zaman, Imam, Masood, Azam, Malik, Asif, Sohail, Shadab, Nawaz, Ashraf, Hasan, Amir, Junaid, Shinwari and Afridi
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
