Profile of Stephen Fleming

Full Name: Stephen Paul Fleming

Born: April 1, 1973 in Canterbury, New Zealand

Batting Style Left-handed batsman

Test Debut India vs. New Zealand at Hamilton – March 19-23, 1994

ODI Debut India vs. New Zealand at Napier – March 25, 1994

The longest serving skipper in Test cricket’s history, Stephen Fleming is truly the pride of New Zealand. Mature and unassuming, he is a cricketer par excellence. Consistent in the middle order and a shrewd strategist, Stephen Fleming has shaped the success story of New Zealand’s cricket team.

When he made his debut against India in 1994, Stephen Fleming was considered to be naive and was not the one for a long run. However, he proved critics wrong. And, despite his not-so-great batting record, he has been able to guide and motivate New Zealand into becoming one of the world’s strongest cricket teams.

Stephen Fleming’s moment of glory as a batsman came when he scored a career-highest 274 not out in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2003. He also batted splendidly in the 2003 World Cup to guide his team to victory against South Africa. But, his inability at converting fifties into hundreds has raised many questions over his career. He has hit nine centuries and 44 half centuries. In 280 ODIs, he has scored 8037 runs. However, over the years, he has shown exemplary maturity and defensive techniques as a batsman.

The best quality about Stephen Fleming, the captain, is his ability to take the right decisions in dire situations. He has believed in his players and has persisted with the good ones through their bad patches. Stephen Fleming has not been unnecessarily vociferous, speaking aloud only when it is really needed to. It is this subtlety and calmness that have made him New Zealand’s most successful Test captain.

In 269 one-day matches, Fleming has scored more than 7,600 runs at an average of 32. He has seven centuries and 46 half-centuries to his credit. In the Test arena, he has played 104 matches, scoring 6620 runs at an average of 40.