Rob Key's credentials to captain England in the World Twenty20 championship have been backed by Test and one-day international captain Andrew Strauss.

Strauss has been left out of a provisional 30-man squad for tournament, leaving the selectors looking for another captain.

Paul Collingwood, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have all suggested they are unwilling to take charge again, potentially leaving the door open to Key or Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas.

Key led Kent to the domestic Twenty20 title in 2007, as well as the finals of the same competition and Friends Provident Trophy last summer.

And Strauss thinks the extra exposure county players have had to Twenty20 cricket makes them an attractive choice.

He said: "I think the fact some of the county guys have played more than the international players helps them.

"Twenty20 is a very different format of the game and accordingly you need to plan for that format and don't look past that when you come to decide the side.

"The rumours you hear on the county circuit is that Rob has done a pretty good job. He is a good operator and definitely one of the names on the list.

"KP has to decide how keen he is to come back as captain. They (Flintoff, Pietersen and Collingwood) have all had issues doing the job which makes them more reluctant to do it in the future.

"That doesn't mean they definitely rule themselves out - but that is something we will have to ask them.

"The selectors must decide how they view the Twenty20 team and what their best XI is. That is an important part of it - whoever captains has definitely got to be worth their place in that XI.

"We will look at guys who have done it before but there are other options as well, guys from outside the squad who could captain the side. Rob Key is definitely a candidate."

The Twenty20 captain will not be chosen until a new coach has been appointed. Andy Flower, who was the stand-in coach in the West Indies tour, is favourite for the job.