Stephen Fleming is the ECB’s favoured candidate to become England’s Test head coach. Fleming quit his post with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) earlier this month, shortly after Brendon McCullum was relieved of his duties with England’s Test team, and appears to be in talks with managing director Rob Key about replacing his compatriot in the role.
Fleming has won five IPL titles with CSK and has also coached their SA20 and MLC counterparts. He has brief stints as a consultant coach in New Zealand and substantial experience in English cricket, having played for Middlesex, Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire and coached for the Southern Brave.
With McCullum remaining England’s white-ball coach, at least until his contract ends at the end of next year, Fleming’s relationship with his old New Zealand teammate will be a key issue.
Fleming and McCullum are good friends who share business interests.
It is unclear whether Fleming will take command in time for England’s Test series against Pakistan, which begins on August 19 at Headingley.
The ECB’s principal goal is to ensure that they have the appropriate candidate in place to help England defeat Australia in the Ashes series next summer, and they are willing to wait if necessary.
England will play 10 Tests before the commencement of the series: three against Pakistan (August-September), three in South Africa (December-January), two in Bangladesh (February), the 150th anniversary Test in Melbourne (March), and one at home against Bangladesh (May). They have actively targeted the series, having previously won the Ashes in 2015.
One of Fleming’s most critical decisions will be selecting a new Test captain. Following his surprise retirement last month, Ben Stokes endorsed Harry Brook, his vice-captain, for the post.
However, Brook already captains England’s white-ball teams, and the ECB is considering handing the role back to Joe Root on an interim basis.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald said this week that England’s new coach could persuade Stokes to reconsider his choice.
“The fairytale would be that he comes back out of retirement and takes on one more Ashes, and builds a lot of hype on the way in,” McDonald told SEN. “To me, he’s still got a lot of good cricket left in him.”
Andy Flower was the early frontrunner to replace McCullum, but he ruled himself out of contention, stating that he was “very happy” with his employment at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and London Spirit.
Other contenders were Tom Moody, Richard Dawson, and Jonathan Trott, but Fleming is considered the obvious frontrunner at this point.
The ECB may still find a spot for Dawson or Trott in England’s squad. Dawson has impressed England’s management since taking over at Glamorgan, where he is under contract until the conclusion of the 2028 season, and previously served as Matthew Mott’s assistant coach in white-ball cricket. Trott is now a free agent after leaving his position with Afghanistan.
Justin Langer, another candidate linked to the position, acknowledged on Tuesday that he had not received any communication from the ECB.
The majority of England’s Test players are involved in the ongoing Hundred season, which runs until August 16, while Shoaib Bashir, Emilio Gay, and Ollie Robinson are competing in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup.
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