England cricket chief Rob Key has left the door open for a dramatic international comeback by former Test captain Ben Stokes, who announced his shock retirement in late June.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Key, the managing director of men's cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board, was speaking a day after the ECB confirmed Stephen Fleming as the new head coach of the Test team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The appointment of the former New Zealand skipper, alongside a return to the Test captaincy for Joe Root, comes after a turbulent few weeks for England.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
First, Stokes announced he was quitting international cricket during play in the third Test against New Zealand -- the visitors won the match to clinch the series 2-1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Durham all-rounder, 35, had been dropped for the second Test after breaking a team curfew at a London nightclub, the latest in a series of off-field incidents involving England players.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Two weeks later coach Brendon McCullum was axed as the red-ball coach, bringing the curtain down on the "Bazball" era of ultra-attacking Test cricket he had led alongside Stokes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
McCullum, another former New Zealand captain, remains in charge of England's white-ball teams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking at Lord's on Friday, Key said he would not rule out a headline-grabbing return for Stokes, with a home Ashes series against Australia looming in 2027.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked if Fleming had floated the idea, he said: "We haven't got round to that at the moment, but it would be a great story."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Pressed on Stokes giving any indication of a change of heart, Key added: "No, he hasn't but I wouldn't be surprised. Anything's possible with Ben.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"No (bridges have been burned)... not at all. Not as far as I'm concerned."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Fleming will not arrive in Britain until September, meaning he will not take charge of the three-match Test series against Pakistan, that starts in August.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Key played down concerns over Fleming's delayed start.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My job is to get the best person," he said. "It wasn't a stipulation for any of the candidates that you had to be there for Pakistan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Had that been the case, that would have limited the field drastically."
\r\n <\/p>\r\n",
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