Stephen Fleming targets No 1 as new England Test coach

Stephen Fleming wants to take England to the top of Test cricket.

The New Zealander laid out that ambition at his first press conference as England Test coach on 20 September, saying his aspiration is to be in charge of the No 1 Test team in the world. The Guardian

Test cricket is the five-day format, the longest and slowest-burning version of the game. Fleming said the next Ashes, the historic England-Australia Test rivalry he grew up watching, holds a special pull. As a New Zealander he had watched and loved it all his cricketing life, he said, adding that being part of it is an absolute highlight and he cannot wait for it.

Fleming knows English conditions well. He played 111 Tests for New Zealand and retired as the country's most successful captain. He then spent the past 18 years with Chennai in the Indian Premier League, the world's richest T20 franchise league, and played county cricket for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, winning the County Championship with Nottinghamshire in 2005.

England appointed the former batter as head coach of the men's Test team in July, with Joe Root reappointed as Test captain. Reuters His predecessor, fellow New Zealander Brendon McCullum, stays on as white-ball coach, leading the team in the shorter limited-overs formats.

Fleming has not been in the dugout yet. Root and assistant Marcus Trescothick took charge for the three-match home Test series against Pakistan in August, while Fleming attended to family and commercial commitments. England won 3-0.

He has started meeting senior figures around the squad. Fleming said he caught up with Ben Stokes at Chester-le-Street and that Stokes seemed happy and at peace with his decision to retire.

He does not officially start in the Test role until the winter. England have also agreed that he can balance the job with television work at home, including commentary stints for Sky NZ in October and December. The Guardian

For fans, this means continuity with a new voice. England kept a settled leadership group through the Pakistan clean sweep, and now add a coach with a long record in both international cricket and franchise dugouts. The brief is simple. Win Tests. Chase No 1. Embrace the Ashes.