New England head coach Stephen Fleming has set his sights on winning the ICC World Test Championship and achieving the number one Test ranking, while acknowledging the “huge amount of work” needed to transform the team’s identity and performance.
Newly appointed England head coach Stephen Fleming is eyeing the prestigious ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and number one Test ranking while acknowledging the “huge amount of work” that the Test side needs to do. Fleming, who has taken over the reins from Brendon McCullum, was speaking at Old Trafford on Saturday ahead of the third T20I against Sri Lanka in his first media engagement as England’s head coach.
The former Kiwi skipper was appointed as head coach to replace McCullum after England’s series loss to New Zealand at home, which was marred by some off-the-field team curfew controversies. Fleming only arrived in the UK after England’s Test series win against Pakistan at home.
Fleming’s Ambitious Goals for England
“It is one of the most prestigious jobs in cricket,” Fleming said as quoted by Cricinfo, having inked a deal till September 2030 after the ECB’s two-week-long recruitment process. “I was very honoured to be asked,” he added. Now, Fleming is in charge of England against South Africa this winter from December 17 onwards and has in-person meetings with skipper Joe Root, with their talks starting over the phone after his appointment two months back.
Now, Fleming has an eye on taking England to the top spot in men’s Test cricket for the first time since 2012 and also winning the ICC World Test Championship mace, saying that it is “high on the agenda”. He is also excited for the Ashes in the UK next year, having watched the marquee series “all his life” as a New Zealander.
“I would love to be in charge of the No.1 Test team in the world. That would be my aspiration,” he said. “I know the marquee events – the Ashes – are something I cannot wait for. As a New Zealander, I have watched and loved the Ashes all my cricketing life. To be part of that is an absolute highlight, so I cannot wait for that. But there is a piece of work there that has already begun which is around our identity. There has been a lot of coverage around that,” he added.
Focus on Team Identity and Representation
Fleming said that the way England’s players represent the group is going to be important for him and he wants the group to have a “sense of belonging”.
“The way players represent England and the group is going to be really important to me. The style of play will come with that also. That will be more player-directed, but I feel very strongly about finding a sense of belonging within the group, and that will take a bit of time,” he said.
“I have started the process. I have been in a lot of contact with Joe, and on this trip as well we have done some things to start this piece of work. Not only will we be in the best position to win cricket matches but also to represent the England cricket team in its best form,” he added.
Eyeing World Test Championship Glory
Fleming also highlighted England’s underwhelming WTC performance, having not managed a title clash in three editions so far and are currently placed in sixth spot ahead of the title clash at The Oval next year. He acknowledged that England can do “much better than that”.
“It is high on the agenda, it is aspirational,” he said of WTC. “England could do much better than that. And even attitude just around the over rate, I think, comes down to identity and style of play,” he said.
The former NZ skipper admitted that the opportunity to win the WTC is “real” and “there is a huge amount of work to do”.
“If that is one of the pinnacle trophies in world cricket – why would we not be trying to get it along with every other marquee event that comes our way? Now, I do not say that lightly, there is a lot of hard work to do, and players must be balanced around that… But it is aspirational, and that is why I am here. That opportunity is real, but there’s a huge amount of work to do,” he said.
Reconnecting with English Cricket
Fleming said that so far, having visited various places in the UK, he has been “kissing county coaches’ heads, meeting new players, reintroducing myself to players I played with who are now in positions of authority at counties.” Manchester was Fleming’s fifth venue checked off this week, after having made visits to Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Durham.
On Ben Stokes’ Retirement
During his visit to Chester-le-Street, he met former Test skipper Ben Stokes, who recently retired from international cricket. Speaking on their conversation, Fleming refused to reveal much and said that he is not in a position to ask the legendary all-rounder to take back his retirement.
“I respect his decision too much. To try to turn that around and question that is wrong,” he said.
Respect for County Cricket
Fleming has had a solid stint in County Cricket in the UK, having played for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire – captaining Nottinghamshire to a Championship title in 2005. He also served as Southern Brave coach in The Hundred competition.
Fleming said that he has “huge respect” for county cricket and there is a lot of talent out there, who are being coached by some good coaches.
“I have a huge respect for county cricket. Those were some of my best cricketing days at Middlesex, Yorkshire and particularly Nottingham. It seems a bit romantic, but I stayed in love with the game after a long period of captaincy where I was getting a bit bitter, so I have a deep respect for the county game and what it can offer,” he said.
“It is a key part of English cricket, so to reconnect, do some miles on the M1 and immerse myself in that over the last three days has been really good. There is some real talent out there and some really good people coaching the talent and [they] seemed really eager for the team to do well,” he added.
Addressing Red-Ball Coaching Credentials
Fleming, previously associated with five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as a player and for the larger part, a head coach, spoke on fears that he may not be suitable for the Test coach role given all his past experience has come in T20 cricket. The 111-Test veteran Kiwi legend said that he is “inherently a red-ball lover”.
“That was where I learned strategy, leadership, captaincy, the nuances of the game. So that is how I was brought up,” he said.
“If anything, I moulded myself into the white-ball world based on man management and strategy and leadership, not necessarily as a white-ball strategist or a player. I am really looking forward to almost coming back to red-ball cricket and having a little bit more time and, probably more importantly, creating relationships that are a bit more than skin deep.”
“And I say that with the greatest respect to the relationships that I have had over my years in franchise cricket, when you just do not have the time. Now to have time to work with a group of players over months and years, really excites me,” he continued. (ANI)
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