Stephen Fleming shortlisted for England head coach role (Source: AFP Photos)
Stephen Fleming, the man who was with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inaugural IPL till the last, will not be there with the five-time champions from the next season. The former New Zealand captain, who first joined the MS Dhoni-led side as a player in 2008, followed by taking over the head coach role in 2009, has now been officially sacked.
Similarly, another high-profile coach lost his job not so long ago. Days after Ben Stokes took international retirement, England sacked Brendon McCullum, Fleming’s countryman and a long-time friend, from the head coach role for the Test side.
As reported by The Telegraph, Fleming could potentially become England’s head coach for Tests after McCullum’s exit. The significant development happened because Fleming’s CSK sacking came out of nowhere on Monday.
England Eye Stephen Fleming For Head Coach Role
Even though Fleming’s time at CSK recently did not go well, he was supremely successful in the early days. As a result, CSK, despite missing out on playing two IPL seasons for unwanted reasons, became the joint-most successful franchise in the history of the tournament, along with Mumbai Indians.
He also helped CSK to win two Champions League T20 (CLT20) titles.
Thus, there is no surprise that Stephen Fleming would be in demand immediately after parting ways with CSK. England, at present, seem to take up the opportunity to have him.
Also Read: MS Dhoni Set To Handpick CSK's Next Head Coach
Not to forget, McCullum will continue to be England’s white-ball coach, with Harry Brook being the captain. Their most recent success came at home, where India, led by Shreyas Iyer, were absolutely humbled by the hosts in a five-match T20I series.
England will next have a three-match ODI series against a very strong Team India, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul to return to action for the Men in Blue.
Stephen Fleming Coaching Career
Along with taking the responsibility of CSK, Fleming was associated with Super Kings’ two sister franchises: Joburg Super Kings in SA20 and Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket (MLC). He will no longer be there as well.
In fact, the announcement CSK made regarding Fleming’s departure was shortly after the Texas Super Kings’ bottom-placed finish on the points table, where they could only register three wins out of 10 matches in a six-team competition.
Apart from that, Fleming was the head coach of Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) between 2015 and 2019. There, he helped them to reach two BBL finals, but could not get the ultimate prize.
Unfortunately for the Stars, they have not won the BBL title, not even once yet.
If Fleming joins England as head coach, it would be two famous Kiwis – McCullum and him – ruling the English set-up at the highest level across three formats.
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