Key refuses to slide away into the shadows

Northamptonshire 250 and 39 for 2 require another 371 runs to beat Kent 254 and 405 for 6 dec (Key 173, Fulton 109, Symonds 61)
Scorecard

If at any time Rob Key felt drained or simply fed up of carting Northamptonshire's attack all over Wantage Road, the motivation to carry on was provided by the tannoy announcer.

Her helpful updates of the score from the Test match, and in particular Andrew Strauss's progress, were appreciated by a sparse crowd watching Key compile a championship best of 173. Whether they were appreciated by the Northants side is another matter as Key's treatment of their bowling became increasingly brutal as news of Strauss's triumphant debut was relayed to all and sundry.

By the time Key was out, after more than six hours at the crease, Kent were able to declare 409 ahead. With Northants 39 for 2 at the close they will be hoping Saturday's news from Lord's is not similarly destructive.

After softening up the New Zealand attack last week with two centuries, Key has re-emerged as a genuine England prospect. Since he played the last of his eight Test matches, at Sydney last year, he has seen the likes of Ed Smith and Paul Collingwood selected ahead of him. Now Strauss is the latest to break into England's top order, and it would be easy for Key to quietly slide away.

But Steve Waugh has been his mentor and having played in that Test at Sydney, Key will have learned a thing or two about making statements. Watching in the crowd, actually they almost were the crowd at times, were England selector Geoff Miller and Tim Boon, one of Duncan Fletcher's talent spotters.

They will have noted the way he dominated the crease, drove straight as a crack shot and timed the ball - apart from the odd wobble against the spinners - with ease. Along with captain David Fulton, the maker of 109, he added 222 for the first wicket and the shoulders of the Northants fielders sagged as the weight of runs grew.

Kent, and Key in particular, were not going to repeat their mistake in the first innings of throwing away the chance to build a winning score. Unlike Kent, Northants cannot call on a bowler with the explosive pace akin to Mohammad Sami. While Johann Louw plugged away manfully the biggest danger to Key's existence was a breakdown in communication from Lord's.

Jason Brown was picked off by Key and Carl Greenidge shipped runs alarmingly. Key offered only one chance when he skied to deep midwicket, but Ben Phillips mistimed his run.

Andrew Symonds is set to join Australia's one-day squad tour to Zimbabwe after this match and he was clearly a man in a hurry as he and Key accelerated the scoring after tea. Key was eventually dismissed when he hit Greenidge to longoff, falling one short of his career best. That 174 was made in Hobart and Key was playing for England against Australia A. If Miller and Boon were suitably impressed here, Key may be an England team-mate rather than rival to Strauss.