England Cricket Board have officially announced Stephen Fleming as the new head coach of England cricket team, replacing Brendon McCullum.
Published: July 30, 2026, 4:12 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/sports/stephen-fleming-heads-from-csk-to-england-replaces-brendon-mccullum-as-head-coach-new-english-captain-is-joe-root-8488309/
Stephen Fleming has been named new head coach of England. (Photo: IANS)
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming will officially replace his Black Caps teammate Brendon McCullum as the new head coach of England cricket team. Fleming stepped down as head coach of five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings earlier this month and will be taking charge of the England team later this year.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also announced Joe Root as the new England captain, replacing Ben Stokes, who announced his retirement from international cricket earlier this month. Fleming was one of New Zealand’s most successful captains and was part of the Black Caps team in 111 matches.
As a player, Fleming was New Zealand’s longest-serving (80 Tests) and most successful Test captain (28 wins). He played for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire where also enjoyed success in captaining Notts to a drought-breaking County Championship title in 2005.
“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,” Fleming said.
“I am looking forward to working with the players and bedding in the gains made by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. 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,” he added.
Our Men’s Test coach at his very best
⏪ @TrentBridge, 2004 ️ pic.twitter.com/DmlXuvEKFq
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 30, 2026
The 53-year-old led CSK to a record five IPL titles as a coach with MS Dhoni as captain and reached the final in the T20 league 10 times. Fleming also led Southern Brave to the final of The Hundred men’s competition in 2023, and has coached CSK’s affiliate teams in South Africa and the USA as well as the Melbourne Stars.
“Following a rigorous process, which involved numerous high-quality candidates, the ECB’s selection panel unanimously agreed on the appointment of Fleming. His role will begin after the start of the upcoming Rothesay Test Series against Pakistan, during which Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim Head Coach,” an ECB statement read on Thursday.
“This is to allow Fleming to spend time with his family in New Zealand after leaving his long-term association with CSK earlier this month. Fleming is set to fly to the UK later this summer to begin preparations for the South Africa Test tour,” the statement added.
Joe Root becomes England captain again
Joe Root will also return as captain of the England team. Root holds the record for leading England in the most Test matches – 65 Tests – as well as to the most wins – 27 wins. His first spell as Test captain was from 2017-2022, he subsequently took on the role on an interim basis at the Oval during the Test Series against New Zealand earlier this summer.
“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. I’m also excited to work with Harry Brook. The best players are never finished products, and helping Harry continue to develop his extraordinary talent and his leadership will be an important part of this journey,” Fleming said.
