Kent captain Rob Key is happy with the work the squad has been able to do in pre-season, and feels the side is well set for the new campaign.

Key has taken over the captaincy back from James Tredwell after just one year out of the job, and the 34-year-old is delighted with how things have gone since he has retaken over the helm.

“Every pre-season, you’re always desperate to get going, especially when the weather’s been like this”, Key told KSN when we caught up with him at the club’s annual press day.

“I think after the first week, we’d done more than we actually had done in a lot of pre-seasons because we didn’t lose any days to rain and it wasn’t freezing cold – last year I think I had 12 jumpers on in the first pre-season game [at Hampshire]!

“It’s been a really good time, and the fact that we’ve been outside, practicing as we have, makes you feel like you’re further ahead than you’ve been in a long time.”

The skipper also feels that the time is right for the younger players in the squad to start making places in the starting XI their own.

“A lot of these younger guys now are probably coming to a period in their career where it is time for them to step up and deliver”, Key said.

“In the years gone by, they might have had opportunities when they weren’t necessarily the right time for them, but now they’re pushing hard.”

The Kent captain also said he was enjoying life back in the role, and feels that the club has everything in place to have a successful season.

“It’s a good time now, with where the club’s at off the field, and in the players that we’ve got coming through and some of the new guys that we’ve brought in, there’s something I think that could hopefully be sustainable for a period of time”, he said.

“In the last year of my captaincy [2012], I thought we were quite smart where we had a few holes and we brought in a few guys who were in the latter part of their career, but that’s not always the most sustainable way to do things. Now, I think we’ve got a much better balance.”

The captain confirmed to KSN that he would be looking to feature in all three forms of the game, but admitted that he could only play if he was deserving of a spot in the XI.

“I think you’ve got to be looking to play all forms of the game and then you see what happens”, he said. “Whether you’re captain or not, it depends on your form – if you’re not playing well, then you shouldn’t be playing, but I back myself to play all three forms.”

Key’s vice-captain for the season is his opening batting partner Sam Northeast, and Key is keen to see the 24-year-old decide whether the captaincy role could be for him in the future.

“I think it’s important that there is that progression plan in place.

“There’s a lot to captaincy that people don’t see, so hopefully in the future, or certainly this year, he can start seeing if it’s a job that’s for him, and he’ll have a better idea of what it takes if he goes into it in the future.”

Top picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com