Key's fine form forces England rethink

Robert Key's career-best score of 174 not out has made quite an impact Down Under. Not just because it saved England from certain defeat against Australia A on Sunday but in that its style, which was seen live on television throughout Australia, impressed even the most one-eyed Aussie.

The Kent opener even won praise from a cab driver encountered travelling from Adelaide airport yesterday .

"Jeez, that bloke Key played well over the weekend," he said on recognising our accents. But realising that he had let his guard down, he went on to say: "No wonder you Poms are struggling, though, you can't even get your best player in the Test side."

Key, who has only been dismissed once while accumulating 266 first-class runs on this tour to date, has without doubt looked England's most comfortable and confident batsman in Australia. Whether this is due to his talent, which is abundant, his laid-back approach, which is refreshing, or the fact that he has never been on the wrong end of an Australian hiding is irrelevant.

What is relevant, is that the England captain Nasser Hussain ­ who will rejoin the squad today after attending the birth of his second child, a boy called Joel, in Perth yesterday ­ and the selectors have to somehow get Key in the side for the second Test which starts here on Thursday.

It has been well documented that Key was underachieving at Kent before Alec Stewart took him to one side at an end-of-season cricket dinner a couple of years ago. England's most capped player told the overweight 23-year-old that he had an ability a lot of players did not have and he should not waste it.

Stewart recommended that he spend the winter of 2000-01 in Perth getting fit and working at his game. This advice was followed and since then the career of a slimmer, more dedicated Key has progressed at a healthy rate. Stewart was equally quick to praise his efforts yesterday as the England team arrived here to start their preparations for Thursday's game.

"I am very pleased to see Rob do well" Stewart said. "It is no secret that I have rated him for three or four years, when I first saw him play for Kent. He has taken his opportunity and probably given the selectors a bit of a headache, in as much as what the balance of our side should be.

"I thought he played very well in both innings against Australia A. He showed a lot of pride in his own performance and he gave the team a big lift at a time when we needed it."

Stewart could possibly do with Key returning the favour in the next couple of days. It would not matter where they came from, but the 39-year-old could do with some words of encouragement as he prepares to take on Australia for the 31st time. The Surrey stalwart has not had the most demanding of weeks. He was rested for the game against Australia A in Hobart after suffering his first pair in Test cricket during the first Test in Brisbane.

The England all-rounder was candid on the topic of not playing in Tasmania. "Playing was discussed, but having this game off was always part of the plan," he said.

"If things go according to plan I will not have another game off until after the World Cup. You need to be sensible so I took this opportunity to take this game off and work hard in the nets."

And his failure to score a run at the Gabba? "My pair hasn't worried me really," he said. "Obviously, I am there to score runs, but these things happen in cricket and it was possibly one of the unluckier pairs you will see. I left one that went off my bat on to the stumps then cut one straight into Matthew Hayden's chest. I have been playing a long time and have taken it in my stride. It is only two innings that I have missed out on: it is not a crisis."

What Stewart will be keen to improve on over the next four Test matches is his record against Australia. Playing against the old enemy has been the one blip in what has been an outstanding career for England's wicketkeeper-batsman.

Despite playing more matches (30) and scoring more runs (1,542) against them, Stewart's record against Australia is his worst against the Test-playing nations. His average of 28 is nine runs less than that against his second least favourite opponent ­ West Indies ­ and nearly 12 below his career average of just under 40.

This is something of a surprise because like Key, Stewart benefited enormously from spending the English winters of his youth in Perth. The quicker, bouncier pitches of Australia should have suited his style of batting but they have not, and that is because it is here where the weakest part of his game ­ facing spin bowling ­ has been exposed.

Shane Warne, who has dismissed him 13 times, and the way Australia play their cricket, for which Stewart has deep regard, are the main reasons why his career average has dipped below 40. This is a statistic he would love to correct before he retires. These two obstacles will both be at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. The challenge is on.