Rob Key

But our decision has to be on who do we think...

can play against Matt Henry and do that.

And that's always been the case.

You know, whether you were captain, you were captain, it's not always been the thing where you've taken just the top run scorer in the averages has been the one to come and play.

That's been happening.

You know, Jacob Bethel comes through, people like that.

then you see the talent and you want to get them in there the spin is a is a tough thing because we'll play at the start there's not lots of opportunity for spinners in the English game certainly early season in the championship so that's tough that's where we've got to try and bridge the gap

But I never think it's right for us to cross anyone out, really.

And I think all those players you've named, whether it's Sibley, Burns, Hamid, they look better players now than what they did when they played for England last, which was before our time.

So if we feel that they can go and do it against the best bowlers in the world, then everyone's got a chance of playing.

But you can only pick 11, though.

No, clearly, when you look at that from people in the county game, you do have to build bridges if that's what people think.

Because as you say, if that's the perception, then they're the things that we need to do.

I've always tried in this job to actually be not a person that moans about county cricket, that sits there blaming county cricket.

When we lose the Ashes, I'm not sitting here blaming county cricket and stuff like that.

When they do reviews, the game now, when I took this job on, the ECB was very much...

dictating how the game should be played in this country or what happens in county cricket.

Now there's been a shift where it's for the county game to decide on the decisions that get made for it.

As far as Brendan's concerned, that's not true either about he has no care.

But Brendan now does the job for 12 months of the year.