KENT skipper David Fulton may well be forced into an early championship comeback by selecting himself in his side’s four-day match with Lancashire starting in Canterbury tomorrow.

Fulton has played just three innings since injuring his eye in pre-season nets, scoring three and five for the county second string and a third ball duck in Wednesday’s Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy tie.

The 31-year-old right-handed opener had scheduled to return to the championship fold at Tunbridge Wells Festival starting next Wednesday. But the ECB’s decision to ask Kent not to play Rob Key in tomorrow’s match is likely to change all that.

England coach Duncan Fletcher contacted Kent counterpart Ian Brayshaw earlier this week to ask for Key to be made available to the national side in Durham on Monday, four days ahead of Thursday’s second Test in Chester-le-Street.

Brayshaw said: "Duncan likes to get the England players together on a Monday as part of his team building and bonding sessions which, as this is such a young England side, he feels to be particularly important.

"Although Rob isn’t centrally contracted we feel honour bound to do what we can to help the England side and have conceded to Duncan’s wishes.

"I certainly put across my point of view, in that I feel Rob could have done with playing and getting a score under his belt. The trouble is this game starts on a Friday and finishes Monday and the England management feel it wouldn’t be right for Rob to be arriving in Durham on Tuesday."

Kent now seem likely to pursue a compensation claim from the ECB, leaving Fulton to make his 11th hour decision whether to line up against Lancashire and his former Kent team-mate Carl Hooper, their stand-in overseas professional.

Fulton, talking after his brief innings in the five-wicket trophy defeat to Gloucestershire, said: "It was a little disappointing because I’ve waited a few weeks for that innings. It leapt and went down the hill a little. It was a good ball but that’s sod’s law. I won’t lose too much sleep over it.

As for the team’s performance, he added: "We have got to start believing in ourselves and hope that we can get luckier. We didn’t score enough runs. It was a 230 wicket and had we got that, we’d have had something to defend.

"Martin Saggers, Mark Ealham and Ben Trott were impressive, but Gloucestershire only had to score at four-an-over and never really needed to take risks."

Kent from: Fulton, Carberry, Smith, Blewett, Walker, Ealham, Jones, Tredwell, Saggers, Trott, Banes, Trego, Sheriyar.