ALEC STEWART could be playing for a county other than Surrey next year if a satisfactory deal is not sorted out with the club he first signed for 22 years ago.

As an England player, he does not hold a contract with the county champions, and has already received inquiries from other counties about his availability in 2004.

Stewart, 40, who retires from international cricket after next week’s Test at The Oval, is not ruling out coaching, encouraged by Duncan Fletcher, the England coach.

Stewart’s successor in the England team will be a big point of debate this week when the selectors begin talks on the winter tours. Two wicketkeepers are expected to be named in a squad of 16 to be announced on September 10. One will be Chris Read of Nottinghamshire, the other probably James Foster of Essex or Kent’s Geraint Jones.

“If you had said to me four years ago that I would go into coaching, I would have said no,” said Stewart, England’s most-capped cricketer. “But Duncan Fletcher has been a breath of fresh air in his style of coaching and in the way he looks at the game.

“He’s come to coaching from different angles, and I’ve enjoyed it. He’s opened my eyes to certain things. You could actually pass that on. It’s an option. I’ve got lots of thinking to do.”

It is emerging that Fletcher has been working overtime to persuade senior England players nearing retirement not to allow their experience to go to waste. Last week he publicly called on Nasser Hussain to share his knowledge with the younger members of the national side, even though he is no longer captain.

Stewart, who has a testimonial with Surrey this year, has long planned to play one more season with them after finishing as an international, but now admits that may not fit in with the club’s plans.

Asked whether he might play for another county next year, he said: “A few phone calls have come my way. Those options are all up in

the air. I’m a Surrey and England player, and in an ideal world that’s how I’ll finish. But it may be that Surrey say they can’t afford the salaries for all the players we’ve got, or it doesn’t fit in with the young players coming through. Does it fit in with what I may be doing in future? I’ve got to have that chat with them.”

If Stewart were to play or coach at another county, it would probably be a team within striking distance of his family home in Surrey. Wherever he ends up, he’ll probably finish his playing days in his favoured role as batsman rather than keeping wicket, because most counties — Surrey included — may prefer to give the gloves to a younger man.

The only coaching vacancy at the moment is the one made by John Bracewell at Gloucestershire, who are keeping their cards close to their chests regarding a successor. Links with Mike Gatting, David Houghton and Bob Woolmer have all been knocked back. Another subject that will thin the hairs of the England selectors when they meet on Thursday will be the spin options for the two series on the subcontinent before Christmas.

The spin bowler in England is in danger of going the way of the dodo, and the dearth of new talent could prompt a recall for Robert Croft, 33, who last played for England in 2001, the year he helped them win in Sri Lanka. Like Ashley Giles, Croft’s Test record is better overseas, and this, allied to his ability with the bat, could earn him preference over the uncapped Jason Brown. Giles may be joined by a second off-spinner, Gareth Batty.

England’s middle order could have a youthful feel to it if Rikki Clarke steals the last batting spot from his Surrey teammate Graham Thorpe. Clarke’s fielding and medium-pace bowling will doubtless boost his claims, as will his unquestioned desire to play for his country, something that cannot be said about all his club colleagues.

It is a concern that so many candidates are out of form or short of fitness, but Clarke is among both runs and wickets.

Few people are putting up their hands, and Foster, who has scored few runs since Jones emerged as a wicket- keeping contender, is not among them.

The squad for February’s tour of West Indies will be named towards the end of the Sri Lanka series, with Simon Jones likely to come in for a spinner.