Rob Key, England Men's managing director, has refused to rule out a Ben Stokes comeback in time for next year's Ashes, saying "anything is possible with Ben".
Stokes announced his sudden retirement from international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand last month, saying he was burned out and "didn't have any fight left" in him after four years captaining the side in red-ball cricket.
He poured cold water on the immediate speculation he could be lured back for the Ashes, saying he would "probably be watching it in an hospitality box". But the topic has refused to go away, with Australia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, suggesting this week the Stokes "fairy tale" would be for him to come out of retirement for "one more Ashes".
Speaking after the confirmation of Stephen Fleming as successor to Brendon McCullum in charge of the Test team, Key was coy on the possibility - although he said he had had no such indication that Stokes, who has returned to playing with Durham, might reconsider.
"It would be a brilliant story if he does," Key told Sky Sports News. "He hasn't [indicated a change of heart], but I wouldn't be surprised. Anything is possible with Ben."
Asked if Stokes had burned his bridges with the manner of his retirement, which was announced midway through day four of the Trent Bridge Test, Key said: "No, not at all. Not as far as I'm concerned."
Stokes' immediate aim has been to give back to Durham, for whom he scored a hundred on his first outing last week - a One-Day Cup game that clashed with the opening day of the Hundred.
While he remains active as a player, talk of a potential England return in time for the 2027 Ashes is unlikely to go away. McDonald, asked about the possibility in a radio interview, suggested it would be a conversation Fleming would be looking to have.
"I don't know," McDonald told SEN when asked if he thought Stokes would be involved. "I think the fairy tale would be that he comes back out of retirement and takes on one more Ashes and builds a lot of hype on the way in. So, if you're looking at promoting that series, that's probably the angle that you would want, that he comes out of retirement.
"To me, he's still got a lot of good cricket left in him. So, yeah, it'll be a fascinating watch. I think whoever the new head coach that comes in potentially has a conversation with him. We don't know why Ben left. I don't think there's been anything on the record around the definitive reason as to why. But he may have just called it a day on Test cricket and that's it.
"So there might be a full stop there, or there might be an opportunity for that new head coach to potentially twist his arm and bring him back in. But if it ends now, he's had a wonderful career in terms of what he's brought to the game, his impact in certain innings and moments in time will age pretty well for him to look back on."