New England captain Joe Root has spoken of new Test coach Stephen Fleming in glowing terms, saying the New Zealander was the reason why he felt so great about his second captaincy stint. England sacked Brendon McCullum, Fleming’s former team-mate, last month and a couple of days ago, the 53-year-old was revealed to be the team’s next Test coach.
Root stepped into the breach for the second Test against New Zealand in June after the now-retired Ben Stokes was removed following the first game due to a nightclub brawl incident. Stokes was given a clean chit a few days later and played his last game, and just like that, Root was back in the fray for captaincy, and he eventually landed the role for the second time.
“I’ve admired him from afar, first as a player and recently as a coach. To get the chance to work together is going to be great fun. Once I’d spoken to Stephen about it and saw his energy and excitement for it, and saw we’re very aligned on it, I got excited very quickly. Hopefully, we can work and build on a lot of the good things that have happened over the last four years,” Root told BBC Sport.
“I think Brendon and Ben did a brilliant job, in many ways, of turning things around and getting us in a position where hopefully now we can carry that forward in a slightly different way. Hopefully, we can work and build on a lot of the good things that have happened over the last four years.
“The last four years have been the most fun I’ve had in professional cricket, and a big part of that was down to the way they [McCullum and Stokes] got me to see the game.
“Clearly, the last little while is probably what’s fresh in everyone’s mind, but you’re looking at a four-year period where we did a lot of amazing things. I’ve taken a lot from that, and I feel it will be a big part of how I want to approach things moving forward as a leader of this team,” he added.
England’s next assignment is a three-Test series at home against Pakistan, starting on August 19 at Headingley. However, Fleming won’t be available for this series. He will, well and truly, take over the role in December against South Africa. Against Pakistan, it will be assistant coach Marcus Trescothick stepping into the breach.
