Stephen Fleming brings the Chennai Super Kings flavor to England’s Test coaching set-up
Stephen Fleming has brought Chennai Super Kings flavor to England’s Test coaching staff as he recruited two of his former colleagues from the Indian Premier League franchise, James Foster and Eric Simons, to bolster his backline ahead of the winter tour of South Africa.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed the national coaching structure for its men’s Test and white-ball teams, with Fleming to lead the Test side and Brendon McCullum continuing as head white-ball coach.
Fleming, who enjoyed a long association with Chennai Super Kings as head coachhe will work alongside the familiar face of Simons, who was part of the franchise’s coaching set-up from 2018 to 2026. Simons has also worked with the Indian men’s team as a bowling consultant and previously served as the men’s head coach in South Africa.
Meanwhile, Foster brings experience across international cricket and franchise leagues. The former England goalkeeper previously worked as a white ball consultant for England between 2018 and 2022 before joining the New Zealand coaching staff. He also coached the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and worked in the IPL, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League.
The appointments give Fleming a mix of established international experience and knowledge as England prepare for the upcoming Test assignment in South Africa.
THE WIDER SETTING OF ENGLISH COACHING
Fleming’s Test coaching team will also include Richard Dawson and Marcus Trescothick. Dawson returns to the England coaching set-up after two years as head coach of Glamorgan, guiding the Welsh county to promotion to Division One of the County Championship in 2025 and helping them retain their place in the top division in 2026. He has previously coached the England Lions and England Under-19s.
Dawson also took on the newly created role of Elite National Spin Bowling Lead, joining Mike Yardy, named Elite National Batting Lead, and Troy Cooley, who started as Elite National Pace Bowling Lead earlier this year.
McCullum’s white-ball coaching group will include Sarah Taylor, Jeetan Patel and Tim Southee, while former England batsman Kevin Pietersen will contribute in a mentoring role.
The respective coaching teams will take charge of England’s upcoming tours of South Africa in Test cricket and Australia in white-ball cricket as the ECB reshapes its support structure across formats.
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