Twenty20 may be Key to Rob's England return

When he fielded at short leg during his 15 Test appearances, he formed one half of England's best comedy double act in recent years, the other half being his great mate Andrew Flintoff in the slips.

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Matt Prior, for instance, could learn a bit from Key's droll oneliners and may get a masterclass when Sussex line up against Kent in the second eliminator of Twenty20 Finals Day at Edgbaston tomorrow.

They will follow the opening game between Lancashire and Gloucestershire and yesterday Key pondered the question of whether it is best to play in the first or second semi-final.

'Well, I suppose you get a bit of a lie-in and that's always welcome,' reflected the Kent skipper who is aware that three of the four previous Twenty20 title winners have come from the second match.

'I do think it is probably an advantage going second because you get a chance to sample the atmosphere and work your way into it and if you do make it to the final you are already pumped up and ready to go.

'Playing the first match in the morning and then having to hang around until the evening must be a real ball-ache.'

Key's international career, the highlight of which was his 221 against West Indies at Lord's in July 2004, has stalled since he last appeared against South Africa at Centurion in early 2005.

With the domestic fixture list such a complete dog's dinner, the Twenty20 climax is a day of rare prestige for the county game and its profile offers players like Key the chance to press their claims for further recognition to an unusually wide audience.

'It seems to have always been the case that, rightly or wrongly, you can make more of an impact by performing on the big televised occasions rather than, say, making a really good hundred at somewhere like Chester-le-Street,' said Key.

'I don't think Paul Nixon's performance in last year's Twenty20 Finals did him any harm, for example.

'Of course, I still have England ambitions. Last season was difficult for me after having a big shoulder injury and getting the captaincy but this year has gone better, even though it has been a difficult season to be an opener against the new ball with the conditions we have had.'

Another Kent player seeking to push his name forward tomorrow is Key's explosive 21-year-old opening partner Joe Denly, one of the discoveries of this stop-start summer.

'He is one of the most exciting players I have seen come through in my time and he has got a real chance of going all the way in this game,' said Key.

'I think Ravi Bopara is a serious player and of the younger ones, Joe is the only one I would bracket with him.'

Gratifyingly, Denly got his chance this season ahead of Neil Dexter, a South African import of the kind that Kent have been all too keen to employ in recent seasons.

Denly came up through Kent's youth ranks and is part of a batting line-up that will seriously test the nerve of an impressive Sussex Twenty20 attack which has featured Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Rana Naved and James Kirtley.

'When you think that we've got Simon Cook at No 11 who pinch hits for us in the 40-over game and James Tredwell at No 10 who has got a Championship century this year, then it shows how deep we go,' said Key.

He also talks of a different mindset among the whole team towards the Twenty20 competition compared to when the format emerged in 2003.

'Back then we were very much focusing on championship cricket and, probably like some other teams, we weren't sure how seriously to take this form of the game or whether it was here to stay.

'But at Kent we have, in general, tried to put more emphasis on one-day cricket in the past two years and there is no question it has helped develop players' games in terms of shotmaking — it certainly has mine.

'When you look at the numbers of fans that turn up, you can see why players are taking it more seriously because we need to put on a good show.

'What really focused our minds this year was when we arrived for our first Twenty20 match of the season at the Rose Bowl and it was a packed house with the match ending in a tie. As a cricketer that's what really gets you going.'