The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Stephen Fleming as the head coach of the England National Cricket Team. He replaced his former New Zealand teammate Brendon McCullum, who was sacked after the New Zealand series. Now, former England captain Geoffrey Boycott has criticized the former Kiwi captain, as he is set to miss the Pakistan series.
England have been struggling in the traditional format of the game; they have recorded one win and two losses in the last three games and are winless in the last three series they have played against Australia, India and New Zealand. After the retirement of Ben Stokes, the management sacked McCullum, and they are now looking to rebuild the Test side.
Geoffrey Boycott slams Stephen Fleming for not joining the team in Pakistan series
Former England skipper Geoffrey Boycott, in his column for The Telegraph, stated that the English players and the team have been judged after the poor Ashes performance. There is not much time for the team and the newly appointed captain Joe Root. He believes that Stephen Fleming should have joined the squad for the forthcoming three-match series against Pakistan instead of South Africa.
Stephen Fleming is set to join the squad from the South Africa series as he has been given some relaxation and vacation time by the ECB so that he can spend time with his family and children. Due to the heavy schedule of franchise cricket, he has not spent much time with his family.
Boycott said, “Every England player and every England team is judged on their Ashes performances, so there is not much time for a new captain and coach to get guys playing their way. That is why Stephen Fleming should be here now, instead of joining the team for the South Africa series.“
“He can watch the Tests on television in New Zealand and see the individual skill and technique of each player, but understanding the character and personality of every one of his team is priceless.”
He cannot gauge their personality: Geoffrey Boycott urges Stephen Fleming to get control of the dressing room
Boycott believes that until Fleming arrives and takes charge of the dressing room, the players also will not be able to understand his philosophy and personality. As the coach of the team, he needs to understand the mentality of the different cricketers in the team and get the best out of the players.
The 85-year-old further added, “Unless he is in the dressing room watching and listening and talking to guys he cannot gauge their personality. As a manager and coach he needs to judge how each player reacts to pressure and tough situations. Work out which ones need a kind word or a kick up the a—.”
“Who are the quiet ones who prefer to be left alone and which ones can lift the spirits of the team in tough moments. Above all, he needs to gauge how they think and have a clear picture of what goes on in their heads.”
Geoffrey Boycott calls Stephen Fleming lucky due to MS Dhoni
Geoffrey Boycott also believes that Stephen Fleming was successful during his 18-year tenure as head coach of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) because of MS Dhoni, who was the captain of the side. He also believes that coaching in England will be different, as Root’s last time as a captain did not have the best results for the team.
Boycott stated, “Fleming was very successful in the Indian Premier League with Chennai Super Kings, but he was lucky to have an exceptional captain in MS Dhoni. It is very different with England because Fleming will have a captain whose last stint in charge ended badly, with too many losses and players not enjoying their cricket.”
“We all love Joe, but in my view he did not get the job a second time because it was felt he was good at captaincy. Joe was appointed because the selectors did not want Harry Brook to be captain in all three types of cricket and there was no one else.”
“So nobody is sure how Joe’s second stint will go. Joe says he is a different person taking on the captaincy again, but at the back of his mind he knows last time he did the job he was mentally shattered by the end. The job wore him down.”
He concluded saying, “He will need help from Fleming, but the most important factor is them spending time getting to know each other so they are on the same wavelength about the type of player and cricket they want to play. In sport, time is your enemy and England need this partnership to work.”