Stephen Fleming Profile by CricketArchive

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Player:

SP Fleming

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DateLine: 19th February 2007

 

As batsman and captain Stephen Fleming’s place in New Zealand cricket’s Hall of Fame is already assured even if he still has a few years left in the game. He will be in anyone’s list of top ten New Zealand batsmen and as a captain he is considered arguably the most cerebral captain in international cricket today. Under him New Zealand has made giant strides and are today opponents which no team can take lightly both in Tests and ODIs. Fleming has wielded the Kiwis into a tough unit at the same time seeing that the players do not sacrifice their natural flair. He has led New Zealand to the World Cup semifinals in 1999, to the Super Six four years later and under him the team can look forward confidently to a fruitful campaign in the Caribbean in 2007. He is New Zealand’s most capped player, the first to appear in 100 Tests and has scored more runs than any Kiwi player in both Tests and ODIs. A veteran of the English county circuit Fleming captained Nottinghamshire in 2005 to their first county title since 1987. A cultured left handed opening batsman Fleming is at ease against both pace and spin, can lay anchor or play strokes freely and has scored runs handsomely and effortlessly all over the cricketing world. A career average of 40 spread over 102 Tests with a career highest score of 274 not out against Sri Lanka speaks highly of Fleming’s consistency and the ability to play a long innings. But in ODIs he can prove to be quite a dasher confirmed by his career strike rate of 71.