91Èȱ¬

Rob Key says standing down as captain of Kent will allow him to concentrate on his batting performances.

The 33-year-old resigned this week after seven years in the role and is replaced as skipper by James Tredwell.

He told 91Èȱ¬ South East Today: "I just want to concentrate on myself and getting back to scoring the runs I did before I was a captain.

"When you're the captain you're that much more desperate to do well. With that comes pressure."

Key, who has undergone a hernia operation since the end of the season, added: "I'm looking forward to just concentrating on scoring my own runs and helping Kent win matches.

"That has taken a back seat over the past few years.

"There is a lot of man-managing issues you have to do [as captain].

"It's your job to try and help players and sort out any problems they are having. You turn up to practice and you've got 15 other players you are looking after along with the coach.

"In the future, I want to turn up and not have to worry about that."

The opening batsman said he had been considering giving up the captaincy since the end of the season and believes he leaves the side in a good state for Tredwell to take over.

"After the last game of the summer at Cardiff I was very tired and had had enough," Key said.

"It had taken so much out of me it was starting to affect everything I was doing.

"I told the club I didn't want to continue but they told me to give myself a couple of months and see where I stand. At no point did I really look forward to doing it."

Kent's chairman of cricket, Graham Johnson, praised Key for his achievements and self-sacrifice during his time leading the side.

"We gave Rob time to think about it and he decided he didn't want to put his hat in the ring," Johnson told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Kent.

"We've got to pay tribute to the work Rob has done in his seven years with Kent. He has done an awesome job.

"He is the longest-serving Kent captain in the professional era and his own international career suffered due to what he put into the county."