Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was appointed as England’s new Test coach on Wednesday, replacing compatriot and good mate, Brendon McCullum, who was sacked in early July.
The 53-year-old had stepped down from the same role with Chennai Super Kings just days before, bringing to an end an 18-year association with the Indian Premier League.
Now, as he prepares for his latest, and perhaps greatest, challenge with England, what can we expect?
Fleming is hugely admired globally – although one retired Black Cap passed up the opportunity to speak about his ex-colleague, quipping that he had “no idea why the ECB were so obsessed” with this particular generation of Kiwis.
Ask those who have played alongside him, or worked under him, though, and the response is unequivocal – Fleming is the real deal, even though he hasn’t coached in first-class cricket since calling time on his red-ball career following a three-year spell with Nottinghamshire that ended in 2007.
