Ben Stokes has made himself available for the bulk of Durham’s County Championship campaign next summer, leaving the door ajar for a potential shock Ashes return with England.

The former England captain has been exploring franchise opportunities since retiring from international cricket last summer but his main priority in the next year will be trying to win the Championship with his boyhood club.

Stokes will begin his winter in Australia’s Big Bash League after signing a £264,000 deal with Adelaide Strikers and is keen to play Major League Cricket (MLC) in USA next summer.

However, his primary goal is trying to help Durham challenge for the County Championship title having played a major role in the club’s promotion last summer, after he sensationally quit England during the New Zealand Test series back in June.

The i Paper understands the 35-year-old has committed to playing 10 Championship games next season, meaning he is unlikely to make himself available for the Pakistan Super League that overlaps with the start of the Championship season in April.

It is also understood he has no plans to play in either the Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Hundred next year.

It was thought Stokes, whose central contract with England was cancelled last month, would be banned for next year’s IPL after he skipped the 2024 auction, with players who had previously participated in the tournament being sanctioned with a two-year exclusion notice.

Franchise Cricket Schedules 2027

• 17 January – 21 February: SA T20 (South Africa)
• 14 March – 30 May: IPL (India)
• April – May: PSL (Pakistan)
• Mid-June – mid-July: Major League Cricket (USA)
• August: The Hundred (England)

Yet while his status remains unclear, it is understood he has no interest in going to India next year as he is fixed on playing for Durham.

It means he will, fitness permitting, play a big block of red-ball cricket ahead of the start of the Ashes in Nottingham on 18 June.

The i Paper has been told he would likely consider an approach from England to come back to face Australia for one last time if the circumstances were right and he was asked by Joe Root, his successor as captain and a close friend.

Right now, that possibility remains remote. England have moved on and the Test team will begin a new era under coach Stephen Fleming in South Africa this winter.

Yet all parties will be keenly aware that things can change quickly and a bad run of results or injuries to key players could change the landscape. The example of Moeen Ali, who came out of retirement at Stokes’ request to play in the 2023 Ashes, is testament to that.

The fact Stokes has committed to playing so much red-ball cricket for Durham means he would be ready if called upon.

Ben Stokes 2026 timeline

• Stokes and England team face heavy criticism following 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia
• Stokes misses second Test against New Zealand for disciplinary reasons after breaking midnight curfew with Gus Atkinson
• ECB investigation clears Stokes and Atkinson of violent conduct
• Stokes announces shock England retirement during series with New Zealand
• England chief Rob Key says he is open to Stokes returning
• Stoke signs for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL)
• Durham seal promotion from Championship Division Two 

Even his desire to play in the US in a tournament that will likely overlap with the Ashes isn’t necessarily thought to be a barrier to a shock return against Australia.

Stokes will first need to gain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to play in MLC. It is understood Durham have already given him their blessing to go but he could be blocked by the ECB given the tournament, likely to be played in June and July, is likely to clash with a significant chunk of the T20 Blast.

The ECB are keen to prevent marquee players from joining rival leagues that clash with either the Blast or the Hundred. Those contracted by England or who hold all-format or red-ball deals with counties are currently not permitted to go to competing tournaments during the domestic summer.

However, Durham are exploring ways to help Stokes get that NOC – including registering him as a white-ball player and offering him a series of short-term “pay-as-you-play” deals as a workaround.

Yet even if he was granted an NOC and signed up with an MLC franchise, the Ashes still wouldn’t be off the table. It’s likely Stokes would sign a multi-year MLC contract so if England did come calling next summer, he may be in a position to come to an arrangement where he misses all or part of the tournament in the first year of any deal.