Sam Northeast: Kent appoint batsman as club captain

Sam Northeast made his first-class debut for Kent in 2007 and has represented England at Under-19 level

Kent have appointed batsman Sam Northeast as club captain for the 2016 season, replacing Rob Key.

The 25-year-old filled in as skipper for much of 2015 when Key was out of the first-team, and he scored over 2,000 runs in al competitions.

"It's a very special moment and I am extremely honoured," Northeast told BBC Radio Kent.

"I've had a good mentor in Rob Key and he did a fantastic job for many years. Hopefully I can emulate his success."

Key spent nine of the past 10 years as Kent captain, with spinner James Tredwell leading the side in 2013.

Northeast came through Kent's academy and signed a new "long-term" contract at the St Lawrence Ground earlier this summer.

The right-hander, who has been vice-captain since late 2013, was named in the Professional Cricketers' Association's team of the year on Tuesday.

"The vice-captaincy role was massive for me," Northeast added.

"It helped me to get an insight of how the club is run and get a taste of it before taking it on fully.

"Rob and I have got a lot of similar ways in which we view the game. This winter is where I can put my own print on it.

"I will sit down with [director of cricket] Jimmy Adams, put our thoughts together and come up with a plan. We can start delivering on the talent we have got."

Kent finished seventh in Division Two of the Championship this summer, but reached the knockout stage of both limited-overs competitions, before losing in the quarter-finals.