Stephen Fleming to be appointed England’s new Test coach

Stephen Fleming is close to being appointed as England's new Test coach after emerging as the No 1 candidate following a week of interviews.

Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, has emerged as the preferred candidate for the job, replacing – but also working in tandem with – his compatriot Brendon McCullum.

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McCullum was sacked as Test coach earlier this month, in the wake of Ben Stokes's retirement, leaving England without a coach or captain. Their next Test is three weeks away at Headingley, the first of three matches against Pakistan.

It is understood that the England and Wales Cricket Board is keen to give the job to the 53-year-old Fleming, who played 111 Tests for the Black Caps, and that his appointment is close after an interview process.

The ECB declined to comment when approached by Telegraph Sport.

It is unclear whether Fleming will be in position for the first Test against Pakistan. In recent days, the ECB has intimated that it is relaxed about the prospect of assistant coach Marcus Trescothick filling in on an interim basis for that series, before the new coach takes over properly for the tour of South Africa in December, their next Test assignment. England have only 10 Tests before next summer's home Ashes; they have not won a series against Australia since 2015, and winning back the urn will be Fleming's first major task.

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Fleming appears to have beaten off competition from English candidates Richard Dawson and Jonathan Trott, as well as Tom Moody, an Australian. The initial favourite for the role was Andy Flower, but he ruled himself out to focus on his franchise commitments with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and London Spirit. On Wednesday, Justin Langer, the former Australia batsman and coach, confirmed that he had not spoken to the ECB about the job. Recruitment has been led by Rob Key, the managing director, in conjunction with headhunters.

After his retirement from international cricket in 2008, Fleming had a long association with Chennai Super Kings, the Indian Premier League franchise, as head coach. As well as working for CSK, Fleming ran their subsidiary franchises in Major League Cricket (Texas Super Kings) and South Africa's SA20 (Joburg Super Kings).

But Fleming left the Super Kings earlier this month, shortly after McCullum was sacked, opening up the possibility that he could take over the England job. He also worked in English cricket with Southern Brave in the Hundred for two years until 2024, and had a distinguished playing spell with Nottinghamshire as well as stints at Yorkshire and Middlesex.

McCullum had been Test coach since May 2022 and in charge of all formats since the start of 2025. But after last month's defeat by New Zealand, he was removed from the role of Test coach, but will continue to lead the white-ball sides.

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That makes his relationship with the new Test coach crucial, and he and Fleming are old team-mates from their time in New Zealand. McCullum made his Test debut under Fleming's captaincy and considered him a mentor.

They were also once business partners, both at the digital platform CricHQ, and another company exporting meat from New Zealand to India.

Fleming had a distinguished first-class career, but has not coached in the red-ball game for some years, or worked in county cricket since his playing days. He is considered an outstanding tactician and man manager, both from his time as a player and leader at CSK, where he won five IPL titles.

It is expected that former captain Joe Root will lead the side against Pakistan, but it will be in the new coach's gift to decide who is given the long-term role. The other realistic candidate is Harry Brook, who has struck up a good relationship leading the white-ball teams with McCullum.

Stephen Fleming is no coach and that is exactly what England need

By appointing Stephen Fleming as Test coach, England have chosen a candidate who will command respect from the dressing room but will be a figurehead rather than a hands-on technical overseer of the team.

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Fleming is not a coach in the true sense of the word. Others such as Richard Dawson and Jonathan Trott – who were interviewed by Rob Key, the ECB managing director – are coaches who relish spending hours with players in the nets, throwing balls and nurturing techniques. Andy Flower, too, still loves to get his hands dirty.

Fleming will probably be like Brendon McCullum in that he is a captain in a coach's job, although his years as a director of cricket in the Indian Premier League suggest he will sweat the details much better than his old New Zealand team-mate. He is also a "big name", someone with more than just coaching badges on his CV. Whereas South Africa, New Zealand and to a certain extent Australia have low-profile Test coaches, England think they need a little more glamour to command the room. Perhaps English players still need to see the medals of those giving them instruction.

Little is known of Fleming's coaching philosophy in Test cricket because he has not had any involvement with the red-ball game since his retirement 18 years ago. He instead built up a lucrative career at Chennai, winning five IPL titles and two Champions League trophies, dovetailing with a powerful captain in MS Dhoni who ran the ship.

There is no Dhoni figure in the England Test team. This is a side that needs picking up and rebuilding in confidence and given a purpose. It lacks a captain, an all-rounder and is confused in its approach to Test cricket.

For Fleming it is an ideal time to take the job. England could not fall much lower and the talent is there to nurture. Harry Brook requires some sensible guidance, a bit like how Fleming the captain was a mentor to a similarly talented but flawed young player in McCullum. Joe Root will fall in line and give Fleming an honest assessment of what the team needs, while Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell can step up to be senior leaders in the dressing room.

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Fleming will naturally enjoy a good relationship with McCullum, his business partner and friend. Their chumminess will be crucial to making the split-coach model work, bearing in mind it has always failed when England have tried it. You suspect much of Fleming's knowledge of the England team will come from McCullum and his influence will remain. How they share Brook's workload, whether Fleming wants him as captain and how they manage the multi-format cricketers will be integral to the success of the operation.

Fleming will be his own man. He is a studious thinker and was a captain widely regarded as one of the best in the world. He was disciplined and extracted the most he could out of his team. His time in the IPL should mean he takes the scrutiny that goes with being England coach in his stride. It is something that shocked McCullum, who had spent most of his time in the more placid backwaters of New Zealand cricket.

As with McCullum, Fleming cannot really boast a method of winning in Australia. Fleming averaged 25 there but did claim a 0-0 drawn series in 2001-02 against the great Australian side of that era, a punching-above-their-weight performance that was worth a win. But it was all a long time ago and the Test game has moved on dramatically.

It is a shame no English candidate stood out. Dawson and Trott would make good assistants for Fleming. Marcus Trescothick is another who will benefit from Fleming's presence and more empowerment. It would at least provide some sort of continuity or succession planning. There is no point wasting this opportunity and just appointing the latest expensive overseas import without trying to influence the direction of English coaching. Only two Englishmen have coached England this century and neither – Peter Moores and Chris Silverwood – lasted very long.

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