Stephen Fleming & Daniel Vettori Say No to New Zealand Coaching Job
Former New Zealand captains, Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori have all but ruled themselves out of the race to replace Mike Hesson as Black Caps head coach.
Last week, Hesson had announced he would step down from his post at the end of July. He had said he was ending his six-year association with the team to spend more time with his young family.
Hesson had enjoyed a highly successful stint with the team. Under his guidance, New Zealand rose to the pinnacle of T20I rankings, number two in ODIs and number three in Tests.
In April this year, New Zealand won their first-ever Test series over England since 1999. Overall, New Zealand won 21 of their 53 Tests, losing 19 under Hesson. In ODIs, they won 65 of their 119 ODIs with 46 losses and in T20Is won 30 of their 59.
New Zealand Cricket now have a significant task at their hands in replacing the outgoing coach. And reports suggested both Vettori and Fleming were in contention for the job. However, the legendary duo has put an end to the speculations.
“I’m a massive supporter of the team, and I’m there to help where needed but don’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” Fleming was quoted as saying by New Zealand Herald.
“If they have a series where they want help or a view from outside, then I’d absolutely love to be part of the group. After ten years of doing it [in the IPL], I’ve got some good white ball IP [intellectual property]. So it would make sense to pass that on at some point,” he added.
Fleming has been coaching in the Indian Premier League since 2009. Last month, he guided Chennai Super Kings to their third IPL title.
Fleming has enjoyed huge success with the Super Kings. In addition to three IPL titles, he also helped them win two now-scrapped Champions League T20 titles. Last year, he had guided Rising Pune Supergiant to the final of the IPL.
On the other hand, Vettori also pulled out of the race, saying coaching the national team is a huge commitment. He is currently committed towards the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Brisbane Heat franchises in IPL and BBL respectively.
“I don’t think I’d be available. I think it’d be a tough assignment for anyone [time-wise]. But there’s no doubt they have got a great group of players to build up towards a World Cup,” Vettori said.
