Rob Key says that new Test captain Ben Stokes wants James Anderson and Stuart Broad to return to the team.
Anderson and Broad were left out of the West Indies tour.
When England play New Zealand, South Africa and India in the summer, new Test skipper Ben Stokes wants the duo to return.
Key said they want to pick the best team.
We are not going to overthink selection.
Key was speaking for the first time after being appointed England's director of men's cricket.
The interim director of cricket left out both Anderson and Broad for the West Indies tour in an attempt to build for the future after England's loss to Australia.
England's winless run stretched to nine Tests as they lost to the West Indies.
Key told the sports editor that Jimmy and Broady are coming back, after appointing Ben as captain.
Had we not agreed, it might have been a different story. It was not up for debate.
Anderson and Broad have both taken a record number of Tests for England.
Key covered a range of topics at his introduction at Lord's, including the vacant head coach roles, former captain Joe Root and his vision for the team moving forward.
It was widely expected that the new captain would be Ben Stokes, who was already in the team.
Key asked Ben if he wanted to do the job.
It took a lot of thinking after he said yes.
As an all-rounder who plays all three formats, as well as taking a break to manage his mental wellbeing last year, doubts have been raised about his suitability for the role.
Key spoke to people close to the 30-year-old before making a decision.
He said that every single one of them thought he would be an excellent captain and that they were honest about the best way to manage him.
He is the epitome of everything our red-ball team needs. I want him to lead from the front.
Key said that they have to be smart about managing his workload because he believes that he can continue to play for England in Tests, 50-over and Twenty20 teams.
Chris Silverwood was sacked as England's head coach after the Ashes.
Key wants to appoint split coaches for Test and white-ball cricket, with former South Africa batter Gary Kirsten and ex-Australia batter Simon Katich being linked.
The Test coach will be in place by the first Test of the summer, which is against New Zealand, according to Key.
Key said there were some good names coming in from English cricket and world cricket.
Key said he plans to re-establish the national selector role which was scrapped under his predecessor, but it's not clear who will fill it.
England's Test team has only one win in their past 17 Tests, one of their lowest points in recent memory.
He said that they need to change the mentality of England's red-ball cricket.
Key drew parallels to the white-ball reset England undertook in 2015, which led to them winning the World Cup, but suggested there would not be wholesale changes in the Test team.
He said that there are talented cricketers in there.
There is a lot of talent. When they come in how they can keep producing, it is just about that.
Key talked about players who could come into the Test team.
The rape conviction of Alex Hepburn made him unavailable for selection by England. During Hepburn's trial, it was mentioned that he was a member of a group that featured disrespectful messages about women.
In 2019 he was charged for bringing the game into disrepute by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Key said that he would be open to the selection of Clarke.
I will have to look into exactly where that is now and what has happened in the past, but I see no reason why not.
You can't penalize people forever. At times, we want to do that, but the world will never forgive anyone for anything at the moment. Sometimes you can do your time and come back.
Key said he had spoken to Root, who stepped down after the West Indies defeat.
One of the great sporting achievements of the 21st century was the break of the England record for most Test runs in a calendar year.
Key said that he was starting to find out more about what he had done.
It won't be up there with winning the World Cup, but to play in a team that has been struggling, living in this pandemic, being captain, having to do so much and score the runs he's scored - you have no idea how great that is.
Joe Root is so important to English cricket that he will have a huge hand to play.
Key, who played 15 Tests for England, had previously worked as a broadcasters for Sky Sports.
He said he took up the role to haveskin in the game.
English cricket is in a state of change, he said.
It is not for me to just sit there and say what has gone wrong.
Let's see if your views are good and we will find out if they are.
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