Recent Zealander Stephen Fleming has been confirmed as England’s recent Test head coach and Joe Root will take another time as red-ball captain.
Five-time Indian Premier League winner Fleming will replace compatriot Brendon McCullum, who lost his role in control of the Test set-up after a 2-1 home series loss to Recent Zealand in June, which followed a disastrous Ashes campaign.
Ben Stokes stepped down as Test captain and retired from international cricket after defeat at Trent Bridge last month and the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Thursday that Root will step as much as fill the void.
The choice to return to Root, who has captained England in 65 Tests, will allow all-format player Harry Brook to give attention to the white-ball captaincy ahead of next 12 months’s World Cup.
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PICTURE: Mike Egerton/PA
Excited
Root will resume his reign as captain within the three-match series with Pakistan in August, but ex-Chennai Super Kings coach Fleming is not going to be in charge and Marcus Trescothick will as an alternative act as interim head coach with the previous Recent Zealand captain back in his homeland to spend time along with his family.
Fleming said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining England as Test coach. It’s some of the prestigious coaching positions in world cricket and I’m honoured to be appointed.
“I’m looking forward to working with the players and bedding within the gains made by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
“After all, the ambition is at all times to win now. But equally, it’s about ensuring the team is well placed for the medium and long-term future.
“There may be numerous young talent in and across the team and our aim is to assist them fulfil their potential as world-class cricketers.”
PICTURE: Nick Potts/PA
Generational talent
He added: “I’m particularly looking forward to working with Joe Root as captain – a generational talent who has achieved a lot already.
“There continues to be plenty more to come back from him, and I’m excited to support him so he can enjoy and thrive within the role in what’s a special context to his first stint.
“I’m also excited to work with Harry Brook.
“The most effective players are never finished products, and helping Harry proceed to develop his extraordinary talent and his leadership will probably be a very important a part of this journey.
“I do know what it appears like to have the load of leadership and international cricket take their toll, and when that happened to me, my love for the sport was rekindled by going to Notts and winning the County Championship.
“English cricket gave that to me and it’s a privilege to have this likelihood to provide something back.”
PICTURE: Rebecca Naden/PA
Outstanding record
Fleming boasted an impressive record in Test cricket as Recent Zealand captain, winning 28 matches and in addition played alongside McCullum for six years.
The Kiwi duo have since prolonged their association to co-founding digital platform CricHQ in 2015 and were coaching rivals for a period within the IPL, with Fleming’s Super Kings defeating McCullum’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the ultimate of the 2021 edition.
An already-positive relationship between Fleming and McCullum will probably be a welcome bonus for the ECB after previous difficulties attempting to make the split-head coach role work.
Whilst Fleming has never coached in Test cricket before, he did captain Nottinghamshire to County Championship success in 2005 and more recently guided Southern Brave to The Hundred final three years ago.
Fleming impressed ECB chiefs during a round of interviews, after Andy Flower ruled himself out of the running earlier this month.
PICTURE: Mike Egerton/PA
Best person
Rob Key, director of England men’s cricket, said: “Stephen Fleming is some of the highly respected figures in cricket, and we’re very fortunate that somebody of his calibre is willing to tackle the challenge of being the England men’s Test head coach.
“I imagine he’s the perfect person to guide a team stacked stuffed with potential and switch that talent right into a world-class outfit that cannot only achieve success but sustain it.
“I’m excited by the prospect of him working with Joe Root who will get the chance to guide free from the Covid restrictions that the Test team faced at the tip of his first stint as captain.”
Root won 27 Tests during his first spell as England captain between 2017 and 2022.
“It’s an amazing honour and privilege to be asked to be England men’s Test captain again,” Root said.
“The Test captaincy is a difficult but hugely rewarding job and, after having fun with a transient taste of it again working with Baz McCullum last month, I’m excited to guide this next generation of players forward.
“The chance to do this alongside Stephen can be an enormous motivator.
“He has proved over an extended time period that he’s an exceptional leader with an amazing knowledge of the sport, and I’m looking forward to working with him and helping to construct a winning environment.”
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