{"id":530855,"date":"2026-07-17T15:35:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/530855\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T15:35:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T15:35:23","slug":"stephen-fleming-former-black-caps-captain-addresses-england-coaching-reports-possible-nz-cricket-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/530855\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Fleming: Former Black Caps captain addresses England coaching reports, possible NZ Cricket return"},"content":{"rendered":"

And while Fleming insists the timing is strictly coincidental, his name is reportedly on a nine-strong shortlist of coaches to helm England\u2019s test side, with an Ashes series against Australia roughly a year away. <\/p>\n

Asked whether he\u2019d be interested in succeeding his former teammate and longtime friend, Fleming emphasised there had been no approach from the England and Wales Cricket Board.<\/p>\n

But if that were to materialise, it would be something he would consider. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve certainly become aware of it,\u201d he told the Herald of the reported shortlist. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing of it has been a bit like Kiwi-hunting season, wasn\u2019t it, with Brendon being tapped on the shoulder on the same day. It was interesting timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever you get an opportunity \u2013 if it was the case that there was an approach \u2013 I\u2019d be quite humbled by it.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil it happened, I couldn\u2019t really give you an answer. I\u2019d 100% give it some consideration, just out of respect. If another country thought you could add some value, it\u2019s quite a compliment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d give it the respect that it deserves, but at this point that would be all I could really say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former England coach Andy Flower, former Australia coach Justin Langer and ex-Black Caps boss Mike Hesson have also been linked with the role.<\/a><\/p>\n

Potentially counting against Fleming is the fact that he has never coached a red-ball side. However, his acumen as one of the best captains the game has seen and extensive knowledge of English county cricket through his time with Nottinghamshire are a huge tick in his favour.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, sources have told the Herald that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) would be interested in finding a role for Fleming closer to home.<\/p>\n

\"StephenStephen Fleming, in his role as Texas Super Kings head coach.
\n Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

There has been no suggestion that NZC would look to move current Black Caps coach Rob Walter on \u2013 given his successes during his first year in charge \u2013 with the England series win coming months after a run to the T20 World Cup final.<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead, it has been suggested that Fleming could be used in a high-performance role. <\/p>\n

Previously, Fleming has linked up with the Black Caps to prepare for major tournaments, notably before the 2021 T20 World Cup, in which they were beaten in the final by Australia. <\/p>\n

As is the case with the England role, however, no approach has been made to Fleming. <\/p>\n

\u201cGiven my current employment state, I\u2019m happy to look at anything,\u201d he joked. \u201cI\u2019ve been reasonably open with that in the past. I\u2019ve had a couple of opportunities to join the Black Caps when on tour, and thoroughly enjoyed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis generation of New Zealand cricketers has been outstanding; we\u2019ve had some of the best ever. Having had the chance to share some time with them whilst they\u2019ve been on tour and in competitions has been quite a highlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the opportunity did come up and the timing was right, absolutely I\u2019d look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given his extensive knowledge of the franchise T20 circuit, Fleming would also be eager to be involved in the proposed new NZ20, with its readjusted launch of 2028.<\/a><\/p>\n

While the finer details are still to be finalised, NZ20 will see foreign investment into New Zealand\u2019s T20 competition<\/a> and the adoption of a franchise model to bring NZC into line with the rest of the world. <\/p>\n

Most importantly, NZ20 will allow the best Black Caps and White Ferns to ply their trade in their home country<\/a>, rather than chase offshore opportunities, as is currently the case. <\/p>\n

\"StephenStephen Fleming has previously assisted the Black Caps to prepare for major tournaments. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n

As an observer of New Zealand cricket, and having held franchise roles all over the world, Fleming welcomes NZ20\u2019s arrival with open arms. <\/p>\n

For a start, though, he wants to see New Zealand adopt a \u201cboutique\u201d style tournament, making use of the peak of the summer, rather than see NZ20 extend itself too far in attempting to match other leagues taking place at the same time. <\/p>\n

Fleming\u2019s time with the Chennai stable also consisted of coaching roles with the Texas Super Kings in American Major League Cricket and the Johannesburg Super Kings in South Africa\u2019s SA20. A franchise role in New Zealand is another job he\u2019d jump at.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly something I\u2019d love to be involved in,\u201d he said. \u201cWith it pushed back to 2028, there\u2019s certainly a possibility of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing away for 19 years, coaching overseas, my passion for cricket in New Zealand to flourish is very high.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there was an opportunity in that, that\u2019s something I\u2019d look into.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex Powell<\/a> is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"And while Fleming insists the timing is strictly coincidental, his name is reportedly on a nine-strong shortlist of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530856,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[23539,7022,42574,13381,49722,16558,1634,36823,2740,5158,111,139,69,17398,766,1527,213,18150,5828],"class_list":["post-530855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-addresses","tag-black","tag-caps","tag-captain","tag-coaching","tag-cricket","tag-england","tag-fleming","tag-former","tag-man","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-possible","tag-reports","tag-return","tag-sports","tag-stephen","tag-wanted"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}