Rob Key would ‘not be surprised’ if Ben Stokes returned to England Test team

Rob Key has no doubt Stephen Fleming is the right man to revive England’s Test team and declared he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Ben Stokes was tempted out of retirement to play a role.

As managing director of men’s cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board, Key is attempting to pick up the pieces of a turbulent summer that has seen former skipper Stokes walk away from international duty and Brendon McCullum axed as red-ball coach.

Key’s own position has come under heavy scrutiny but, having retained his job, he has identified former New Zealand captain Fleming and returning captain Joe Root as the partnership to bring stability and success back to a side that had clearly lost its way.

McCullum remains an important part of the picture at the helm of the white-ball team and plenty still believe Stokes could re-enter the fray in time for next year’s Ashes campaign.

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Speaking at Lord’s to launch his latest vision for England, Key would not rule out a headline-grabbing return for the Durham all-rounder.

Asked if Fleming had raised the idea, he said: “We haven’t got round to that at the moment, but it would be a great story.”

Pressed by Sky Sports on whether Stokes himself had given any indication, a smiling Key added: “No, he hasn’t but I wouldn’t be surprised. Anything’s possible with Ben.

“No (bridges have been burned)… not at all. Not as far as I’m concerned.”

Lack of preparation?

Fleming, 53, was a highly respected tactician and man manager during his long stint as New Zealand captain – during which time he forged a strong bond with McCullum.

That relationship could serve the ECB well as they attempt to avoid the tensions that have marred previous attempts to install a split coaching regime – with Andy Flower and Ashley Giles failing to gel and Matthew Mott playing second fiddle to McCullum when they attempted a job share.

There has, though, been consternation about Fleming not taking charge of the forthcoming series against Pakistan.

Having just concluded a long stint in charge of Chennai Super Kings he will take a break before arriving in the country in September, leaving him seven Tests and no home series before the Ashes.

Best person

Key was bullish on that, insisting: “My job is to get the best person.

“It wasn’t a stipulation for any of the candidates that you had to be there for Pakistan. Had that been the case, that would have limited the field drastically.

“A month ago this was probably not on a lot of people’s radar – certainly myself and Stephen Fleming, as well.

“In life, you have a lot of things that you have to do, that you can’t do, that have been planned a long way in advance, that are really important for him as well.

“So that wasn’t a stipulation that you had to be in there, as I said, that would have narrowed the field considerably if it was.

“In Stephen and Joe, I think we’ve got the two best people to take what is a side with a huge amount of potential.

“I’m as optimistic as ever that we’ve got the best people to take English cricket forward.”

Homegrown over overseas?

Four of England’s last six Test coaches have been imported from overseas, Fleming following in the footsteps of McCullum, Trevor Bayliss and Andy Flower, in what appears an indictment over the domestic production line.

Key accepted there had been slow progress on that score but indicated new opportunities for homegrown candidates to join the setup could be imminent, with Glamorgan’s Richard Dawson a leading contender.

“It’s not happened quick enough, but that’s a massive part of what we’re going to try and do going forward,” he said.

“One of the first things Stephen spoke about was that.

“We have a duty as well to bring coaches through, to upskill and to give them experiences. It’s a problem we’re all trying to solve, it’s just not a quick fix.

“When you go for jobs like this…the remit is you get the best person possible and in my opinion, that’s Stephen Fleming.

“Next time you don’t want someone to go, ‘Well, I have to appoint an English coach’. What you want is the English coaches to be top of that list.”

READ MORE: Stephen Fleming named new England Test head coach as Joe Root returns as captain