Stephen Fleming

Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM (born 1 April 1973) is a New Zealand cricket coach and former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, who is the current head coach of Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings. He is considered one of the greatest batsmen for the New Zealand national cricket team. Under his Captaincy New Zealand won the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. He has won 5 IPL trophies with Chennai Super Kings, more than any other coach.

Stephen Fleming

ONZM
Fleming in 2011
Personal information
Full name
Stephen Paul Fleming
Born (1973-04-01) 1 April 1973
Christchurch, New Zealand
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium-slow
RoleTop-order batsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 188)19 March 1994 v India
Last Test22 March 2008 v England
ODI debut (cap 88)25 March 1994 v India
Last ODI24 April 2007 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.7
T20I debut (cap 3)17 February 2005 v Australia
Last T20I26 December 2006 v Sri Lanka
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1991/92–1999/2000Canterbury
2000/01–2008/09Wellington
2001Middlesex
2003Yorkshire
2005–2007Nottinghamshire
2008Chennai Super Kings
Head coaching information
YearsTeam
2015–2019Melbourne Stars
2016–2017Rising Pune Supergiant
2009–2015, 2018–presentChennai Super Kings
2022-presentJoburg Super Kings
2023-presentTexas Super Kings
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 111 280 247 460
Runs scored 7,172 8,037 16,409 14,019
Batting average 40.06 32.40 43.87 35.13
100s/50s 9/46 8/49 35/93 22/86
Top score 274* 134* 274* 139*
Balls bowled – 29 102 35
Wickets – 1 0 2
Bowling average – 28.00 – 15.50
5 wickets in innings – 0 – 0
10 wickets in match – 0 – 0
Best bowling – 1/8 – 1/3
Catches/stumpings 171/– 133/– 340/– 225/–
Source: Cricinfo, 4 May 2017
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Men's Cricket
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Kuala Lumpur List-A cricket

Known for his astute tactical abilities, he is New Zealand's second-most capped Test cricketer with 111 appearances. He is also the team's longest-serving and most successful captain,[1][2] having led the side to 28 victories and having won Test series against India, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

He is the winning captain of the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, which is New Zealand's only ICC trophy till date in the ODI format and in limited overs cricket.[3] Fleming captained New Zealand in the historic first Twenty20 International of the world, which was played against Australia in 2005.[4]

He retired from international cricket on 26 March 2008. Fleming played in the 2008 Indian Premier League for the Chennai Super Kings after being signed for US$350,000 and became the team's coach from 2009.[5] In February 2015 he was signed as coach of the Melbourne Stars of the Big Bash League.[6] On 19 January 2018 he resumed his duties as head coach of the Chennai Super Kings in 2018 Indian Premier League season again, after the team was barred from playing in the tournament for two seasons. He coached the Rising Pune Supergiant during this time.[7] He is appointed as the head coach of Joburg Super Kings in 2022 for the SA20 league. In 2023, he was also roped in as the coach of Texas Super Kings for the Major League Cricket. He is one of the best coaches in the IPL so far.

Personal life

Fleming is the son of Pauline Fleming and Gary Kirk. Pauline raised him as a single mother, and he did not meet his father until he was 16, although Kirk had always maintained a keen interest in his son's progress. Both Kirk and Fleming played senior rugby and captained Cashmere High's first XV.[8]

On 9 May 2007, Fleming married his long-term partner Kelly Payne in a ceremony held in Wellington. The couple had a daughter, born in 2006, and a son, in 2008.[9] He had to return to New Zealand just before the semifinals of the IPL tournament for the birth of his second child.

Fleming was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to cricket, in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours.[10]

Domestic career

Fleming has played county cricket in England for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. He captained Nottinghamshire to County Championship victory in 2005, their first Championship title in 18 years.

There was speculation in 2007 that he might join the controversial Indian Twenty20 league, the Indian Cricket League. However it turned out to be unfounded and he later joined the 'official' Indian Twenty20 league, the Indian Premier League, and played for the Chennai Super Kings in the league's initial incarnation.

International career

A left-handed batsman, Fleming made his Test debut in March 1994 against India winning the Man of the Match award on debut after scoring 92. In 1995 he survived controversy when he was caught and admitted to smoking marijuana with teammates Matthew Hart and Dion Nash while on tour at their hotel.[11] In England's tour of New Zealand in 1996–97 he scored his maiden Test century in the First Test at Auckland. In the Third Test of the tour he took over the captaincy from Lee Germon becoming New Zealand's youngest captain at 23 years and 321 days.

Captaincy

He was particularly noted for his captaincy, having been praised from the likes of Shane Warne as the "best captain in world cricket"[12] and most recently, Graeme Swann who said that Fleming is one of the two true leaders that he's ever seen, alongside Andrew Strauss.

Fleming became New Zealand's most successful captain in September 2000 with a victory over Zimbabwe. This was the 12th win under his captaincy overtaking Geoff Howarth. Fleming was regarded by some as an underperformer with the bat, with one of the worst 50 to 100 conversion ratios in world cricket. However, since the 2003 tour of Sri Lanka, Fleming started to gain form, with 274 not out against Sri Lanka – when he declared rather than staying to reach 300 which would have been a record in New Zealand cricket history.

Arguably Fleming's best ODI innings was his unbeaten 134 to help New Zealand beat hosts South Africa in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Chasing a rain adjusted target of 229 off 39 overs, Fleming hit 134 off just 132 deliveries as New Zealand cruised to a 9-wicket victory over a team they had struggled against in the past.

Fleming adjusting the field at Nottinghamshire. Fleming was regarded as one of the world's best cricket captains.

In the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town in April 2006, Fleming scored his 3rd Test double-century and became the first New Zealander to achieve this feat. Fleming scored 262 as he and Wellington teammate James Franklin put 256 runs for the 8th wicket, the highest partnership to date in Tests between New Zealand and South Africa. It is also a New Zealand record for the 8th wicket against any country.

On 25 October 2006, Fleming captained his country for the 194th time in an ODI – a world record, overtaking Arjuna Ranatunga. He played well throughout the 2007 World Cup scoring 353 runs at an average of 39.22 and was New Zealand's second highest run scorer in the tournament. He failed in the semi-final against Sri Lanka scoring just 1 off 4 balls as New Zealand went on to lose the match and crashed out of the tournament. On 24 April 2007, Fleming resigned as the ODI captain of the Blackcaps. The announcement was made in a post-match press conference held after the Semi-Final defeat to Sri Lanka in the 2007 Cricket World Cup.[13] After Fleming's last match as captain, Mahela Jayawardene added a tribute. "Stephen's been a great leader for New Zealand for some time, and you could learn a lot from him". Over a decade of leading the side he finished with 218 games, 98 wins, 106 losses.

As of April 2007, Fleming had captained New Zealand in 80 Test matches—a New Zealand record and the second highest number worldwide .[14] As a fielder Fleming took over 170 catches, giving him the 3rd highest Test aggregate for a non-wicketkeeper.[15]

Post-captaincy

In September 2007, Fleming was replaced by Daniel Vettori as the New Zealand Test captain. He also left English county Nottinghamshire after three years as captain. In February 2008 Fleming ended speculation and confirmed his retirement from the New Zealand team at the end of England's 2008 tour of New Zealand to spend more time with his family, and to play for the Indian Premier League.[2]

He played well in his final series, scoring 297 in six innings. In the first innings of the second test against England, he scored his 7000th run in his 110th match. In his final test at, Napier, he scored half-centuries in both innings to ensure that he finished with a Test match average of over 40 (40.06).

Playing style

Fleming was an elegant left handed batsman and played shots such as the flick off the pads, straight drive, cover drive and cut shots. He was also a clever captain and his field placings for many batsmen like Damien Martyn at point and aggressive captaincy made the opposition struggle for their runs. He was also a prolific slip catcher and fielded well in close-in positions.

International centuries

Fleming, a left-handed batsman, has made 17 centuries in international cricket – nine in Test matches and eight in One Day Internationals – and sits ninety-sixth in the list of century-makers in international cricket.[16]

Test centuries
Test centuries scored by Stephen Fleming[17]
No. Score Opponent Pos. Inn. Venue Date Result Ref
1129 England41Eden Park, Auckland24 January 1997Drawn[18]
2174 not out Sri Lanka33R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo27 May 1998Won[19]
3105 Australia41WACA Ground, Perth30 November 2001Drawn[20]
4130 West Indies31Kensington Oval, Bridgetown21 June 2002Won[21]
5274 not out Sri Lanka31Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo25 April 2003Drawn[22]
6192 Pakistan31Seddon Park, Hamilton19 December 2003Drawn[23]
7117 England21Trent Bridge, Nottingham4 June 2004Lost[24]
8202 Bangladesh31M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chattogram26 October 2004Won[25]
9262 South Africa31Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town27 April 2006Drawn[26]

One Day International centuries
ODI centuries scored by Stephen Fleming[27]
No. Score Opponent Pos. Venue Date Result Ref
1106 not out West Indies4Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain29 March 1996Won[28]
2116 not out Australia4Melbourne Cricket Ground21 January 1998Won[29]
3111 not out Australia4McLean Park, Napier12 February 1998Won[30]
4134 not out South Africa2New Wanderers, Johannesburg16 February 2003Won (D/L)[31]
5115 not out Pakistan2Lancaster Park, Christchurch10 January 2004Won[32]
6108 South Africa2Lancaster Park, Christchurch17 February 2004Won[33]
7106 England2Brisbane Cricket Ground6 February 2007Lost[34]
8102 Bangladesh2Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound2 April 2007Won[35]

After cricket

Coaching

Fleming played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2008 Indian Premier League. He was appointed as the team's head coach in 2009 and retired as a player. The side won the IPL in 2010 as well as the Champions League Twenty20 and went on to win the IPL again the following season. He coached Chennai for six seasons before the side was suspended from the IPL for two years. In 2016 he became the coach of Rising Pune Supergiant.

In 2018 Fleming returned as coach of Chennai after the team's suspension ended. The team won the IPL during 2018 and repeated the success in 2021 and 2023 editions.

He was appointed as the head coach of Joburg Super Kings in 2022 for the SA20 league. In 2023, he was also appointed as the coach of Texas Super Kings for the Major League Cricket.

Business interests

Fleming has since been involved in setting up CricHQ with the company's CEO Simon Baker and former New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum. Fleming is one of 160 investors and a director in the company. In June 2015 the company raised US$10m from Singapore private equity firm Tembusu Partners to expand globally.[36]

References
  1. "Top 10 Most Successful Cricket Captains of All Time". 27 December 2013.
  2. "Fleming to end New Zealand career". BBC Sport. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
  3. "Magnificent Cairns steers New Zealand to great triumph". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  4. "Ponting leads as Kasprowicz follows". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  5. Article regarding New Zealand Cricketers in the IPL auction Cricinfo, retrieved 25 March 2008
  6. "Stephen Fleming named Melbourne Stars coach". 3 News. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  7. "Stephen Fleming appointed as head coach of CSK in 2018 IPL". Deccan Chronicle. 19 January 2018.
  8. The Age, 7 November 2004. "Fleming's father comes out of the shadows". Retrieved 11 May 2016
  9. Shepheard, Nicola (12 May 2007). "Fleming goes all out to wed in secret" – via nzherald.co.nz.
  10. "Queen's Birthday honours list 2011". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  11. "Fleming caught out for a smoke". The New Zealand Herald. 6 November 2004. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  12. James, Steve (8 April 2007). "Spotlight on Stephen Fleming: Boss approved". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  13. "Fleming resigns as ODI captain". Cricinfo. 24 April 2007.
  14. "Records – Test matches – Individual records (captains, players, umpires) – Most matches as captain – ESPN Cricinfo".
  15. "Records – Test matches – Fielding records – Most catches in career – ESPN Cricinfo".
  16. "Records / Combined Test, ODI and T20I records / Batting records / Most hundreds in a career". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  17. "Statistics / Statsguru / SP Fleming / Test matches / Hundreds". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  18. "1st Test: New Zealand v England at Auckland, Jan 24–28, 1997 | Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  19. "1st Test, Colombo (RPS), May 27 - 31, 1998, New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  20. "3rd Test, Perth, November 30 - December 04, 2001, New Zealand tour of Australia". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  21. "1st Test, Bridgetown, June 21 - 24, 2002, New Zealand tour of West Indies". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  22. "1st Test, Colombo (PSS), April 25 - 29, 2003, New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  23. "1st Test, Hamilton, December 19 - 23, 2003, Pakistan tour of New Zealand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  24. "3rd Test, Nottingham, June 10 - 13, 2004, New Zealand tour of England". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  25. "2nd Test, Chattogram, October 26 - 29, 2004, New Zealand tour of Bangladesh". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  26. "New Zealand tour of South Africa, 2005/06 – 2nd Test". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  27. "Statistics / Statsguru / SP Fleming / One-Day Internationals / Hundreds". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  28. "2nd ODI, Port of Spain, March 29, 1996, New Zealand tour of West Indies". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  29. "Australia vs. New Zealand, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, 21 January 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
  30. "3rd ODI (D/N), Napier, February 12, 1998, Australia tour of New Zealand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  31. "15th Match: South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg, Feb 16, 2003 | Cricket Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  32. "3rd ODI, Christchurch, January 10, 2004, Pakistan tour of New Zealand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  33. "2nd ODI (D/N), Christchurch, February 17, 2004, South Africa tour of New Zealand". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  34. "12th Match (D/N), Brisbane, February 06, 2007, Commonwealth Bank Series". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  35. "31st Match, Super Eights, North Sound, April 02, 2007, ICC World Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  36. Hutching, Gerard (16 June 2015). "Singaporean firm invests US$10m in New Zealand cricket tech company". Stuff. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
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