In the final instalment of our exclusive pre-season chat with Kent coach Matt Walker, he’s been talking to KSN’s Mike Green about how former Kent captain Rob Key’s part in the phenomenon that is “Baz-Ball”.

The appointment of former Kent skipper Rob Key to the top job in English cricket certainly raised eyebrows but since Brendon McCullum became the Test coach, there has certainly been a significant new era for the international side.

“I know he’s my mate,” Walker told us, but what Rob has done with McCullum and Stokes – the whole attitude that we’re here to entertain… people want to watch exciting cricket and be entertained by Test cricket and they’re getting it in absolute spades at the moment, and the three of them should be very proud what they have achieved – they’re revolutionising the game of Test Cricket and that isn’t easy!”

“They’ve won eleven out of thirteen playing this type of cricket and the record really does stand up for itself.”

“Rob wanted to win at all costs when he was our captain and that always evident from young Rob Key to captain Rob Key to where Rob Key is now – there’s always been an ambition to win, but you can only play a style of cricket with the players that you’ve got.”

“So if you haven’t, it’s very difficult to do, but he was always very forward thinking – he was always someone who was never stood still as a captain, he was always trying things as did McCullum did when he was playing – never sit still always trying to make something happen and you can see that now what’s happening with the Test team.”

“I know that McCullum was very close to the (Shane) Warne way of thinking cricket and you can see that in this complete, we will give everything to win a game of cricket focus.”

“If it doesn’t come off it won’t change the attitude, they’re not going to give up. We back ourselves with the group of players that we’ve got to be able to do the job, and I suspect if they lose a couple of Tests, it’s not going affect them one little bit as they carry on their journey!”

“Whether it’s going to stay for the next ten years, who knows? I suspect that it will do, but whoever comes in and takes over the roles could send it back the other way, but at the moment, it’s great to watch and it’s very clear that the players are really enjoying playing in that team and people will want to play for England.”

“Now if we can re-create that happy environment at Canterbury where people that that great mentality about winning and we can have fun and we can have a real positive mindset in everything that we do – practice, play, off the field – then hopefully we’ll see some really special things at the Spitfire Ground soon.”

“Whether it catches on around the country I don’t know, as I suspect many coaches are being asked the same questions and having the same thoughts – it’s good for the game, it’s got everyone buzzing and we’ll see how it impacts in a very interesting season of County Cricket ahead of us…”