one innings of note—129 against the Cambridge students. However, after being dropped from the side, Key's form seemed to improve: he scored 140 against Nottinghamshire to set up a Kent victory, and consistently scored around 40 runs per innings for the remainder of the season. The 2004 English cricket season saw Key hit top form for the first time, scoring a total of 2,486 runs in all competitions. This total included a "majestic" unbeaten 118 in the opening game of the season against Gloucestershire, during which Key did not offer a single chance throughout. He reached the thousand run milestone for the season on 2 June, the earliest date the milestone had been reached since 1978, and went on a run that included five centuries in seven innings. He was then recalled to the England squad for the series against the West Indies, and Key played two key innings: 221 at Lord's, and his second innings 93 not out to win the third Test for England. Following the series Key returned to the domestic scene, and finished the season with two further tons; 131 against both Northamptonshire and Middlesex. Following the winter international series in South Africa, Key returned to domestic action with Kent. While not having as successful a season as in the previous year, he still scored over 1,500 runs. This included two centuries in the same match against Surrey, during the second of which he shared a county third-wicket record partnership of 323 with Martin van Jaarsveld. At the end of the season, Key was named the new county captain following the resignation of David Fulton, a role he took on in order to help his chances of regaining a place in the England side. His first season as captain saw his form slide, as Kent's chairman of cricket Graham Johnson related at the end of the season: "His commitment to the team has probably impacted on his own form". Nonetheless, he was given the captaincy of the England A team in their fixture against Pakistan, and led Kent to fifth place in the top tier of the County Championship. The following season saw Key lead Kent to silverware, whilst returning to some of his best form. He struck a total of eight centuries, and amassed a total of 2,267 runs in all competitions, whilst also leading Kent to the finals day of the 2007 Twenty20 Cup,