Black Caps' boy captain matures as
'the man'
By Peter Bidwell
From The Dominion, 16 April 2001
STEPHEN FLEMING has finally grown up as captain
of the New Zealand cricket team. It has been a protracted
and exhausting journey, littered with as many disasters
as triumphs.
In February, he was on the verge of chucking
the captaincy. The team was in a terrible losing slump,
he was struggling to make a contribution with the bat
and the weight of public expectation was dragging him
down.
It was only some strong words of encouragement
from the chairman of selectors, Richard Hadlee, a desperately
needed recovery of some batting form and a positive
chat with Australian captain Steve Waugh that kept him
in the job.
It was a decision he was more than happy
with as he reflected on an absurdly long season that
started in Singapore on August 20 and ended in Hamilton
on March 30.
"I'm much more certain now about wanting
to be captain," Fleming said.
"At times I didn't think I was in the
right frame of mind to carry on. The results weren't
flash and I was struggling with the bat.
"It's natural you question yourself.
I had to decide did I really want to carry that pressure.
"It's hard demanding standards of others
when you're not performing yourself. People were offering
support and encouragement but you're still the one that
has to want to do it."
Having survived that crisis of confidence
and strengthened his position within the New Zealand
team, Fleming left for England on Thursday with girlfriend
Kelly Payne, determined to use a season with the Middlesex
county side to bring greater authority to his batting.
It bothered him that he failed to score
an international hundred last season. The only century
he managed was an innings of 120 not out for Wellington
in a Shell Cup game against Otago.
"I need to learn the skills needed
to score hundreds. I just haven't been getting them
often enough," Fleming said.
"In the last two years I've laid the
foundation but I've not been able to go on. I can score
the 70s and 80s but not the hundreds. It's a confidence
thing."
His two biggest personal regrets last season
were the failure to convert his test scores of 99 against
South Africa in Bloemfontein and 86 against Pakistan
in Auckland into centuries.
"In that innings of 99 I needed the
confidence to get the last single. County cricket will
give me the chance to get more used to doing it."
Last season, he completed five 50s in New
Zealand's nine tests, and four 50s in 27 one-day internationals.
In 60 tests, he has just two centuries and 29 50s, which
gives him the worst conversion rate of anyone who has
scored 2000 runs in tests, and he has three centuries
in 152 one-dayers. His most recent test ton was 174
not out in the first test against Sri Lanka in Colombo
in 1998.
His reliable slip catching ability was among
the New Zealand team's strengths. He says it is all
a matter of confidence, which he would like to be able
to transfer to his batting.
Fleming, who turned 28 on April 1, will
be under pressure to succeed at Middlesex as they strive
to get into the first division of the county championship.
He is the replacement for prolific Australian batsman
Justin Langer and the county has also lost England batsman
Mark Ramprakash to London neighbours Surrey.
The captain is a former Mana club player
in Wellington, fast-medium bowler Angus Fraser, and
Fleming thinks it likely he will lead the side himself
on occasions.
Fleming knows the environment, having first
played in Britain aged 18. That year he was on the staff
of the Northamptonshire county, playing second XI matches,
and acting as 12th man for the first team.
On one occasion he was called upon to field
at third slip and took a catch from the bowling of legendary
West Indian fast bowler Curtly Ambrose.
Fleming had the benefit of a strong coach
in feisty Australian Steve Rixon when he became New
Zealand's youngest captain aged 23 in 1997. Rixon deflected
a lot of the pressure away from him.
Rixon's successor, David Trist, was a similarly
dominant individual and one quite used to being in the
public eye. Fleming was able to stand in his shadow,
too, particularly when the poor results were getting
on top of him.
In February, Fleming was ready to quit against
Sri Lanka after New Zealand had lost their third successive
one-day series. It was the lowest point since he became
captain. The late-season crisis of confidence evaporated
after he had spoken to Waugh at an international captains'
meeting in Melbourne.
Fleming returned with a new appetite for
the job and a desire to make changes. He became the
team's main spokesman, like Waugh with the Australian
team. Trist was thrust into the background and sports
psychologist Gilbert Enoka was cut from the team management
though Fleming and other players were big fans of his
skills.
It worked a treat. There was no negative
fallout and Fleming was comfortable in his new role
as the team's main man. It helped that New Zealand soon
beat Pakistan 3-2 in a one-day series and, after caving
in by 299 runs in the first test, won the third by an
innings and 185 runs to square the series.
Fleming savoured the moment. He was not
doing cartwheels, though. A season far too long at more
than seven months produced, he said, "average results".
That was borne out by the statistics of three wins,
three losses and three draws from nine tests, and nine
wins, 17 losses and a no-result from 27 one-dayers.
Hampering a better return were injuries
to Geoff Allott, which ended his career, Dion Nash,
which may have ended his at international level, Chris
Cairns and Daniel Vettori.
Fleming said the positive aspects were related
to the development of bowlers Daryl Tuffey, Chris Martin
and James Franklin, the outstanding debut season of
test opening batsman Mark Richardson, the successful
recall of his opening partner Matthew Bell and the maturing
of international player of the summer Craig McMillan.
"The benefits of introducing the new
players will come in 12 to 24 months," Fleming
said. "We now have a bigger pool of players capable
of performing at international level."
He was saddened that New Zealand's wins
over Pakistan were sullied by comments from sacked coach
Javed Miandad, which he later denied, that the Pakistanis
were guilty of match-fixing in the one-dayers.
"Any mention of match-fixing immediately
cast a slur over the quality of our performances and
further diminished cricket's standing in the last 12
months."
Before he left for Britain, Fleming, who
bats left-handed and plays golf right-handed off an
8.2 handicap at the Wellington club at Heretaunga, was
happy to beat New Zealand teammate Roger Twose by eight
strokes in their "major tournament" of the
year. The pair are good friends but also highly competitive
and they play basketball as well.
Sensibly, Fleming, who lived in Christchurch
till last year, embarked on a university career before
cricket took over. He is a year away from completing
an arts degree, which would have taken him into secondary
school teaching.
Fleming doubts he will pursue that option
when his playing days are over. He is happy to talk
about his cricket but reluctant to offer much about
his life away from it.
His attitude is business-like and he has
become a genuine leader. Take him out of that cricket
environment, though, and he is happy to fade into the
background. He is not one of those who thrives on celebrity
status.
With some of his New Zealand teammates out-performing
him, there is a strong feeling of unfinished business
about his batting.
Five months in England will hopefully put
him in a better position to live up to his ranking as
the best batsman in the New Zealand team.
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