SportsPosted at: Sep 20 2026 6:47PM


Fleming sets sights on World Test Championship with England

Wellington, Sep 20 (UNI) New England head coach Stephen Fleming has made the World Test Championship a central part of his ambition, insisting England should be targeting the pinnacle
of the longest format and aiming to become the No.1 Test side in the world.
With England's white-ball campaign against Sri Lanka drawing to a close, Fleming has already turned his attention towards the broader challenge of Test cricket and the opportunity to reshape England's fortunes in the format he holds particularly close to his heart.
"It's high [on the agenda], it's aspirational," Fleming said of the competition. "England could do much better than that. And even attitude just around the over rate, I think, comes down to identity and style of play.”
"If that's one of the pinnacle trophies in world cricket [World Test Championship], why would we not be trying to get it along with every other marquee event that comes our way?
"Now, I don't say that lightly, there's a lot of hard work to do and players must be balanced around that… But it's aspirational and that's why I'm here. That opportunity is real, but there's a huge amount of work to do."
With a contract until 2030, Fleming spoke of his aspirations to make England the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world, an honour currently held by their old rivals, Australia, according to ICC.
"I would love to be in charge of the No.1 Test team in the world," Fleming added. "That would be my aspiration."
That ambition comes from a coach whose own cricketing philosophy was shaped by the demands of red-ball cricket.
After years of success in franchise cricket, most notably with IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, Fleming is now relishing the prospect of spending more time working with an international group and developing relationships within the England dressing room,
"It's one of the most prestigious jobs in cricket. I was very honoured to be asked," he said on taking on the role.
"I'm really looking forward to almost coming back to red-ball cricket and having a little bit more time and, probably more importantly, creating relationships that are a bit more than skin deep."
"And I say that with the greatest respect to the relationships that I've had over my years in franchise cricket, when you just don't have the time. Now to have time to work with a group of players over months and years, really excites me."
Fleming’s first outing as the Head Coach of the Test side is an away trip to South Africa for a three-match Test series starting December 17.
UNI BM
Tags: #Fleming sets sights on World Test Championship with England
More News

Elavenil's double silver puts her atop India’s Day 1 performers

20 Sep 2026 | 7:36 PM

BD Narayankar
Bengaluru, Sept 20 (UNI) If India's opening day at the Asian Games had to produce one name above the rest, it would be Elavenil Valarivan.

see more..

Day 1: India make medal-rich Asian Games start with shooting silvers, hockey routs

20 Sep 2026 | 7:14 PM

New Delhi, Sept 20 (UNI) Two silver medals, a hockey goal-fest, a cricket century, a historic MMA medal and winning starts across the courts — India’s Asian Games campaign burst into life on Sunday with a day of action that stretched from the shooting range to the hockey turf and combat arena.

see more..

From eve-teasing to MMA cage: Suchika's remarkable combat journey

20 Sep 2026 | 6:59 PM

Aichi-Nagoya (Japan), Sept 20 (UNI) From taking up judo at the age of 12 after an incident of eve-teasing to assuring India of its first-ever Asian Games MMA medal, Suchika Tariyal's remarkable combat-sport journey reached a historic milestone here on Sunday.

see more..

Fleming sets sights on World Test Championship with England

20 Sep 2026 | 6:47 PM

Wellington, Sep 20 (UNI) New England head coach Stephen Fleming has made the World Test Championship a central part of his ambition, insisting England should be targeting the pinnacle
of the longest format and aiming to become the No.1 Test side in the world.
With England's white-ball campaign against Sri Lanka drawing to a close, Fleming has already turned his attention towards the broader challenge of Test cricket and the opportunity to reshape England's fortunes in the format he holds particularly close to his heart.

see more..

Deepika rewrites Asian Games hockey record with eight-goal blitz

20 Sep 2026 | 6:34 PM

Kakamigahara (Japan), Sept 20 (UNI) Deepika Sehrawat rewrote the Asian Games women’s hockey record books with a stunning eight-goal blitz as India launched their campaign with a crushing 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan in their opening Pool B match here on Sunday.

see more..