Ex-England spinner Ashley Giles left the position in the wake of the team’s 4-0 Ashes defeat to Australia, with Sir Andrew Strauss currently in the job on an interim basis.
Former batter Key, who made 21 appearances for England between 2002 and 2009, is believed to have applied for the position along with former national selector Ed Smith and Durham director of cricket Marcus North.
Last week, Strauss said England are racing a ‘ticking close’ to appoint the right team to lead the Test side, and Pietersen believes Key would be a valuable asset to the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Pietersen told Betway: ‘The ECB are attempting to fix the mess that is the England Test side at the moment.
‘They are looking for a Managing Director to reset English cricket, and I think that Rob Key, who has been linked with the role, would be perfect for it.
‘Knowing him as I do, particularly from sitting around the commentary box with him, he has a very good cricketing brain and deals with people very well.
‘He understands situations and I think he would be a very smart operator.
‘Everybody knows my views on the structure of English cricket and how it needs to change. I believe Rob Key would be willing to make the big decisions and has a clear idea of what cricket should look like in this country.
‘The structure is what needs to change. I don’t care who the captain is, I don’t care who the coach is. Nobody would do better than Joe Root or Paul Collingwood with this crop of players.
‘The reset needs to start at the ECB offices, not on the cricket field.’
As well as appointing a director of cricket, England are also set to name a new permanent coach after Chris Silverwood was axed in the aftermath of the Ashes thrashing.
Strauss said: ‘We are making progress with it and we’re obviously very conscious there’s a ticking clock, both in terms of appointing a director of cricket and then of course the coach – or potentially coaches – on the back of that.
‘The ambition is certainly to have the Test coach in place by that first Test of the summer [against New Zealand in June].
‘In recruitment there are all sorts of moving pieces, including notice periods and I don’t think we can categorically say that, but it’s the ambition.’
England have only won one of their last 17 Tests, losing to West Indies following the Ashes loss. Joe Root is under intense scrutiny but appears set to continue as captain despite his team’s dismal form.
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