Fleming chalks out his plans for England in Tests
Stephen Fleming says changing conditions are reshaping the format, and that developing English coaches is a “real focus” for his tenure as head coach.
England’s new Test coach Stephen Fleming believes conditions are shaping strategies in the longer format of the game, with seamer-friendly tracks altering the role of spinners in Test cricket.
Fleming will begin his tenure as head coach with a three-Test tour of South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship 2025/27 cycle.
The former New Zealand captain took over from Brendon McCullum and is eyeing the series against the reigning World Test Champions, which will kick off at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, on 17 December.
Speaking about the shifting nature of Test cricket, Fleming said pitches are favouring seamers and offering spinners less help.
“Pitches are becoming a little bit more seamer-friendly (in Test cricket),” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Games are over in three-and-a-half to four days, max. You’re not getting the deterioration in a lot of wickets that you used to see, with the advent of drop-ins, so it’s becoming a lot more challenging (for spinners).
“What you’re seeing is the rise of the part-time spinner: in our case, the Bethells, the Lawrences and the Roots. And then if you combine that with four seamers, it’s an adequate - or more than adequate - attack to get through a Test match, so the dynamic of it really has changed at the moment.”
England have won three of their last four Test series in South Africa, including a 3-1 victory under Joe Root’s captaincy in 2019/20. South Africa have not lost a home Test series to England since 1999.
Beyond the tour, Fleming outlined his priorities for England’s coaching set-up, adding that the process would draw on the county game and on former players.
“It’s an ambition as well that you will also get county coaches who will be introduced at certain times, and you will get past players that will be asked to come back as well,” he said.
“It’s really inclusive and a comfortable nature around using what’s around, but also driving what should be driven within the county game and the English game.”
He also plans to stay close to the domestic scene, having caught up with former teammates who now coach in England's county circuit.
“Yeah, I’ll be around,” Fleming said.
“I actually really enjoyed this year getting to catch up with a lot of the guys that I played with [who] are now in positions - either coaching position or the head position - at counties.
"It was good to catch up with those guys and get a good feel for where the county game is at… It will be a key part of continuing to develop players.”
The former New Zealand captain has had a solid coaching career in franchise cricket as he is tasked with helping England become a dominant Test side again.
England currently sit sixth in the ICC World Test Championship standings, having won just seven out of the 16 Tests that they have played in the cycle.
With a change in the coaching setup, England would be looking for a strong finish to the WTC cycle.
Series Schedule
First Test: 17-21 December, 2026, Johannesburg
Second Test: 26-30 December, 2026, Centurion
Third Test: 3-7 January, 2027, Cape Town