New England Test Coach Fleming Targets No. 1 Ranking

Stephen Fleming held his first press conference as England Test coach after signing with the ECB through September 2030. His first assignment is the December South Africa tour, then a home Ashes next summer. England lost the last Ashes 4-1, have not been Test No. 1 since 2012, and have missed all three World Test Championship finals. Fleming visited Ben Stokes in Durham. Stokes retired from Tests in July, helped Durham win Division Two, and signed for the Adelaide Strikers. Fleming said Stokes seemed really at peace and that he has the utmost respect for the decision. On Test Match Special he said trying to turn that around and question it is wrong. He said he has an obsession with beating Australia and is incredibly excited about the Ashes. He called the job one of the most prestigious in cricket and said he was very honoured to be asked. Brendon McCullum was sacked as Test coach earlier this summer after two wins in his final 10 Tests. Derbyshire Police closed the Brydon Carse investigation on Friday. Left-rated outlets framed his start as targeting No. 1. Contested: none found.