New England coach Stephen Fleming will take up a commentary role in his native New Zealand this autumn ahead of his first series in charge of the Test team.
Fleming was appointed as Brendon McCullum’s replacement as England Test coach earlier this summer but wasn’t in charge for the series against Pakistan – with interim coach Marcus Trescothick and returning captain Joe Root leading the side to a 3-0 triumph.
Fleming will step into the job for the away series in South Africa this winter, which begins on 17 December, but before that will head to the commentary box for Sky NZ to cover New Zealand’s five-game T20 series with India, which runs from 22 October to 1 November.
Sky announced their line-up on Monday, with Fleming being joined by the likes of ex-India head coach Ravi Shastri and former Black Caps stars such as Ross Taylor, Tim Southee, Scott Styris and Shane Bond.
After the five T20s, New Zealand and India will contest five further ODIs and two Tests, although Fleming won’t be on media duty for those matches as he prepares for England’s games against the Proteas.
The 53-year-old was New Zealand’s longest-serving Test captain as a player and then led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles over 17 years in charge and is one of the world’s most highly-rated coaches, although England represents his first international job.
When his appointment was confirmed in late July, Fleming said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining England as Test coach. It’s one of the most prestigious coaching positions in world cricket and I am honoured to be appointed.
“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. 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.
“I’m particularly looking forward to working with Joe Root as captain – a generational talent who has achieved so much already. There is still plenty more to come from him, and 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.”
McCullum lost his job with the red-ball team after four years in charge after following a dismal Ashes campaign last winter with defeat at home to his native New Zealand, but remains in charge of the limited-overs sides.
And he believes his ex-Black Caps teammate Fleming will prove to be a shrewd appointment.
“The ECB has done incredibly well to get someone who has options all round the world, to get someone (like him) to commit to English cricket for the period he has is an outstanding achievement,” McCullum said recently.
“I had a great time for those four years and now it’s heading in a different direction, Flem will be excellent. He’s a little bit like me, but better.”
