Joe Root Returns as England Test Captain, Stephen Fleming Named Coach
England restored Joe Root as Test captain and appointed former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming as men’s Test coach on a four-year contract.
In short
- England restored Joe Root as Test captain and appointed former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming as men’s Test coach on a four-year contract.
Joe Root will return for a second term as England’s Test captain after the England and Wales Cricket Board appointed Stephen Fleming as the men’s Test coach on July 30, 2026.
Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, has signed a four-year contract running to September 2030. He will take charge for England’s winter tour of South Africa. Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim coach for the three-Test home series against Pakistan, scheduled to begin at Headingley in three weeks.
Fleming succeeds Brendon McCullum, who was removed from the Test role earlier in July following a poor Ashes campaign and a home series defeat by New Zealand. McCullum remains responsible for England’s limited-overs teams.
Root previously led England in 65 Tests, winning 27 and losing 27, before stepping down in 2022. Fleming captained New Zealand in 80 Tests and has since built much of his coaching record in franchise cricket, including with Chennai Super Kings.
