Key may still find door shut

14 April 2012

Robert Key cannot expect someone to fall on his sword in the style of Nasser Hussain. But whatever happens now he is first in line to fill any gap, from one to six, in England's batting line-up following a dream-like hundred against the West Indies.

When Andrew Strauss scored a century at Lord's two months ago, Hussain solved a potentially awkward problem for the selectors by retiring and creating a space for the new batting star.

But 31-year-old Mark Butcher is not about to do the same and he should be ready to reclaim the No3 slot come next Thursday's Second Test against the West Indies in Birmingham.

It was captain Michael Vaughan's knee injury, sustained while batting in the nets, that presented Strauss with an unexpected opportunity which he duly converted by taking 112 and 83 off New Zealand at the start of the summer.

But Butcher's temporary removal from the scene came as an even bigger bolt from the blue.

Key had virtually discounted the possibility of playing at Lord's this week once the batsman he was shadowing started to recover from a thigh strain. Just when he expected to be released from the squad, though, someone ran into the back of Butcher's stationary car.

It's amazing, really. The Surrey left-hander might have been damaged by any number of fast bowlers while playing 42 consecutive Tests over a three-year period.

Yet it was a relatively minor highway prang that left Butcher with a sore neck and gave Key the opportunity to face a West Indian attack that, yesterday at least, never threatened to slam on the brakes when it came to runscoring.

Despite averaging a shade under 90 in first-class cricket for Kent this summer, Key said he felt in moderate form following a slab of one-day cricket.

But, having battled to 80, he suddenly found his touch and timing to reach 167 by last night - out of a mighty total of 391 for two - with the help of 23 boundaries.

Eight previous Tests, the last of which was against Zimbabwe 14 months ago, had brought Key just 244 runs and a lot of heartache because he knew opportunities had been made and then missed.

This time, though, a pitch that became flatter by the minute and an attack that seemed to grow more generous by the second combined to present a chance too good to waste.

So has Key now cracked it? The 25-year-old is far too down to earth to entertain ideas like that. He clearly expects Butcher - who averages above 40 in Test cricket over the past three years and has been England's most consistent batsman for the last two of them - to regain his place once fit.

But a second wicket stand of 291 with Lord's run machine Strauss should, if nothing else, ink in Key's name for a winter tour of South Africa.

"In the past I think I've been too desperate to show everyone I can play Test cricket," he said.

"This time all I said to myself was try to get through the first hour. I had a bit of luck and it just came good. But there's a danger of patting yourself too hard on the back so I don't want to get too carried away."

The "bit of luck" was a generous slice, courtesy of Chris Gayle who dropped a slip catch off Fidel Edwards's bowling when Key had scored 16.

But he made the most of not only that piece of generosity but also most of the numerous invitations to attack which were sent down by Brian Lara's bowlers.

With Strauss powering to 137, England looked set to make more than 400 in a day, and even challenge the 428 runs the team of 1907 achieved against South Africa at Lord's.

But Strauss fell to an edged cut and then, with five and half overs remaining, Vaughan accepted an offer to leave for bad light.

Many supporters could not understand the decision to troop off. A new ball had just been taken, though, and no-one could say they were starved of entertainment at Lord's yesterday.

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Key may still find door shut

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