Sports · Cricket · 2 hrs ago
Fleming says England's national team should have an English coach
Stephen Fleming says England's national team should be coached by someone from England as he begins his role as Test coach.
The New Zealander is the latest overseas coach to lead England's men's team, and his first series in charge will be in South Africa in December.
Since 1999, only two Englishmen have coached the Test side, while several coaches from other countries have held the job.
Fleming says developing English coaches will be a priority, and his backroom staff includes former England players Marcus Trescothick, James Foster and Richard Dawson.
He also plans to bring county coaches and former England players into the set-up, while spending time watching county cricket.
That focus addresses criticism of the previous coach's limited time around county cricket, which is part of England's domestic game and a route for developing players.
Fleming plans to watch county cricket next summer as he prepares for England's home Ashes series.
Stephen Fleming, England’s new Test coach, says he believes the national team should primarily be coached by someone from England.
He says developing English coaches will be a priority during his tenure.
Fleming’s backroom team includes former England players Marcus Trescothick, James Foster and Richard Dawson.
He plans to spend part of next summer watching county cricket before the home Ashes series.
His first series in charge will be three Test matches in South Africa in December.
- Who
- Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s former captain and England’s new Test coach.
- What
- He said he believes England’s national team should primarily be coached by someone from England and that developing English coaches will be a priority.
- When
- He spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live. The article was published on 19 October 2026.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- He said developing English coaches is a priority and that the national team should primarily be coached by a national representative.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Fleming was appointed as England’s Test coach.
Fleming did not take charge of England’s series against Pakistan.
Fleming is due to take charge of his first series, three matches in South Africa.
Fleming said he would spend part of the summer watching county cricket before the home Ashes series.
- First series
- Three matches in South Africa in December
- Backroom team
- Marcus Trescothick, James Foster and Richard Dawson
- England Test coaches since 1999
- Peter Moores, twice, and Chris Silverwood were the only Englishmen in charge
- Appointment
- Fleming was appointed in July
What people are saying
I do believe that primarily the national team should be coached by a national representative
I'm grateful for the opportunity, but there will be some development in terms of the coaching, and you can see by our staff.
Yep, I'll be around and I really enjoyed this year getting to catch up,