Stephen Fleming has taken over England Test coach role from Brendon McCullum.
Stephen Fleming has made clear his ambitions for the England team, and the new head coach of the Test squad wants to make the Three Lions the No. 1-ranked team in the format. He also added that the team must change their blasé attitude towards the World Test Championship as part of a necessary identity shift.
Ahead of the third T20I between England and Sri Lanka at Old Trafford on Saturday, Stephen Fleming converses with the media. Fleming took charge of the England Test team as head coach, replacing Brendon McCullum, who remains the head coach of the white-ball teams.
"It's one of the most prestigious jobs in cricket. I was very honoured to be asked,” Fleming told reporters, as per Cricinfo. He has signed a contract with the ECB that runs till September 2030. This came after Fleming and Chennai Super Kings parted ways after 18 years of association in the Indian Premier League.
Fleming’s first assignment as England Test coach will be the series in South Africa.
"I would love to be in charge of the No. 1 Test team in the world. That would be my aspiration. I know the marquee events – the Ashes – are something I can't 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 can't 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.
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.
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,” Fleming added.
Fleming also added that he wanted to address England’s indifferent attitude to the World Test Championship, as the team has not come even close to qualifying for the finals even once in the previous three WTC editions.
"England could do much better than that. And even attitude, just around the overrate, I think, comes down to identity and style of play. If that's 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 don't say that lightly; there's a lot of hard work to do, and players must be balanced around that… But it's aspirational, and that's why I'm here. That opportunity is real, but there's a huge amount of work to do,” Fleming said.
Fleming also addressed fears he may not be suited to the role, given all his experience as a head coach to date has come in T20 franchise cricket.
"I am inherently a red-ball lover, and that was where I learned strategy, leadership, captaincy, and the nuances of the game. So that's how I was brought up. If anything, I moulded myself into the white-ball world based on man management, strategy and leadership, not necessarily as a white-ball strategist or a player. I'm 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,” Fleming said.
Recently, the ECB had also hired Kevin Pietersen as a mentor for the England white-ball team, captained by Harry Brook. England recently whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 under Joe Root’s captaincy.
(Cricinfo inputs)