Stephen Fleming appointed England Test coach as Joe Root returns as captain

England have turned to one of cricket’s most experienced franchise coaches to lead their Test rebuild, with former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming appointed as head coach and Joe Root returning to the captaincy.

Fleming, 53, takes charge of the Test side for the first time in his coaching career after spending 17 years at the helm of Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, guiding the franchise to a record five IPL titles.

The former Black Caps skipper replaces Brendon McCullum, who was removed from the role earlier this month following a difficult run of results and several off-field issues. McCullum will remain in charge of England’s white-ball teams.

Root, meanwhile, returns as Test captain four years after stepping down from the role. The 35-year-old led England between 2017 and 2022, overseeing a record 27 victories in 65 matches, and has been handed the job again following Ben Stokes’ shock retirement from international cricket in June.

Fleming said he was “incredibly excited” to take on the challenge of coaching England’s Test team.

“It’s one of the most prestigious coaching positions in world cricket and I am honoured to be appointed,” he added.

The New Zealander will not be in the dugout for England’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan, which begins on 19 August, with assistant coach Marcus Trescothick set to take charge on an interim basis.

Fleming will spend time with his family in New Zealand before travelling to the UK later this summer to begin preparations for England’s tour of South Africa in December.

Root said the opportunity to work alongside Fleming was a “huge motivator” behind his decision to return to the captaincy.

“[Fleming] has proved over a long period of time that he is an exceptional leader with a great knowledge of the game, and I am looking forward to working with him and helping to build a winning environment,” Root said.

Fleming brings wealth of experience

Although Fleming has never previously been a national head coach, his record in franchise cricket speaks for itself.

He guided Chennai Super Kings to five IPL triumphs and has also gained experience in English cricket, having played county cricket for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, where he won the County Championship in 2005.

As a player, Fleming made 111 Test appearances for New Zealand, scoring 7,172 runs at an average of 40.06, while he remains the Black Caps’ most successful captain after winning 28 of his 80 matches in charge.

He believes England have the talent to build towards future success.

“Of course, the ambition is always to win now. But equally, it’s about ensuring the team is well placed for the medium and long-term future,” Fleming said.

“There is a lot of young talent in and around the team and our aim is to help them fulfil their potential as world-class cricketers.”

Fleming also praised Root, describing him as a “generational talent who has achieved so much already”.

“I’m excited to support him so he can enjoy and thrive in the role in what is a different context to his first stint,” he added.

Root returns after Stokes retirement

Root returns to the role having established himself as one of England’s greatest ever Test batters.

The Yorkshireman, who made his debut in 2012, is England’s all-time leading Test run scorer with 14,114 runs and sits second on the global list behind India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who finished his career with 15,921 runs.

He first became captain in 2017 after Alastair Cook stepped down and went on to lead England through one of the most challenging periods in their history before handing over the reins to Stokes in 2022.

Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, believes Root’s return will have a positive impact both on and off the pitch.

“Whenever Joe comes back into our environment, he raises the standards,” Hamilton said.

“The young players learn simply by watching the way he prepares, trains and competes.”

England looking to revive Test fortunes

Fleming inherits a side whose progress under McCullum stalled after a remarkable opening year.

McCullum and Stokes transformed England’s fortunes following their appointments in 2022, winning 10 of their first 12 Tests together.

However, results have declined since then, with England losing 18 and winning 17 of their following 37 matches. They have also failed to win a multi-match Test series since December 2024.

The decision to move on from McCullum followed a disappointing run that included a 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia and a 2-1 home series loss to New Zealand.

That defeat was compounded by Stokes announcing his retirement from international cricket during the third Test at Trent Bridge.

The former captain had backed Harry Brook as his successor, but the 27-year-old, who currently leads England’s white-ball teams, was overlooked earlier this summer.

Could Stokes return for the Ashes?

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald believes Stokes still has plenty to offer and has called on Fleming to try to convince him to return for next year’s Ashes series.

“The fairytale would be that he comes back out of retirement and takes on one more Ashes and builds a lot of hype on the way in,” McDonald told Australian radio station SEN.

“If you’re looking at promoting that series, that’s probably the angle that you would want, that he comes out of retirement.

“To me, he’s still got a lot of good cricket left in him.”

Fleming’s close relationship with McCullum could also prove valuable as England look to create greater consistency across their Test and white-ball teams.

The pair have previously described each other as “great mates” and share business interests, with Fleming now tasked with building on the foundations laid during the McCullum era while creating his own identity.

With Root back at the helm and Fleming bringing years of leadership experience, England will hope the new partnership can deliver success across both the short and long term.