Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming is expected to be appointed as England Test coach. This follows the sacking of Brendon McCullum earlier this month due to a series of poor results and off-field incidents. McCullum will, however, continue to lead England's white-ball teams.
Fleming, 53, has emerged as the frontrunner for the role, as first reported by the Telegraph. If appointed, he would collaborate with director of men's cricket Rob Key and national selector Marcus North to appoint a new Test captain, following Ben Stokes' shock retirement from international cricket in June.
Fleming would take charge of a Test side that has seen its initial momentum under McCullum falter. After winning 10 out of 12 Tests in McCullum's first year, England have since won 17 and lost 18 of 37 Tests. The team has not secured a multi-match series victory since December 2024.
It is currently unclear whether Fleming would be in position to lead England for the three-Test series against Pakistan, which begins on 19 August at Headingley, or if he would wait until the December tour of South Africa. Assistant coach Marcus Trescothick and former skipper Joe Root could potentially fill the head coach and captain roles on an interim basis.
Fleming has extensive coaching experience on the franchise circuit, including a 17-year tenure as head coach of Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings, where he led them to five IPL titles. He also captained New Zealand in 111 Tests, scoring over 7,000 runs.