Fleming can't escape the captain's
role
By Richard Boock
From the New Zealand Herald, 2 June 2001
Stephen Fleming may allow himself
a wry smile over the way things have turned out.
Two months ago, the New Zealand
cricket captain set off for a wilting county side, Middlesex,
on a journey of self-fulfilment.
Now, he is in the hotseat of the
English championship's most talked about revival.
New Zealand's youngest test skipper
when appointed in 1997, Fleming was for once thinking
only about himself last summer when he accepted an invitation
to play for Middlesex, where he hoped to re-discover
his century-making habit.
He went a long way towards achieving
that last month when he scored centuries against Gloucestershire
and Durham, the first breaking a sequence of 39 century-less
first-class innings, and the second giving him consecutive
hundreds for the first time in his career.
But any thoughts that he might
be able to escape the pressures of captaincy and pay
undivided attention to his own game were thrown out
the window when captain Angus Fraser went down, injured
after the fourth round, leaving Fleming at the helm
of the resurgent county.
Under Fleming, Middlesex scrambled
to a draw against Nottinghamshire at Lord's late last
month and were poised, weather permitting, to steam
to the top of the second division table overnight, after
playing Derby out of the game at Southgate.
The once-all conquering Londoners
had slumped in the past 10 years, winning only eight
of their last 48 championship matches, while losing
20 and never managing to climb out of the bottom three.
It was so bad near the end of the
1990s that Australian coach John Buchanan, who arrived
at Middlesex bristling with scientific and rigorous
plans, found himself bogged down in apathy and factions,
and opted not to return for his scheduled second year.
The county then went back to former
coach and former England captain Mike Gatting, who was
duly dumped in favour of his old Middlesex and test
team-mate John Emburey.
To make matters worse, Middlesex's
usual professional - Australian Justin Langer - was
unavailable this season because of international commitments,
and they also had to contend with the defection of star
batsman Mark Ramprakash to Surrey.
In some ways, Fleming sees a parallel
with playing for Middlesex and New Zealand.
"New Zealand have lost a few experienced
players such as Chris Cairns, Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori,
and we are a young side with limited experience," he
said.
"We're a struggling team because
we are short of resources.
"Middlesex are in the same position.
They're in transition with younger players trying to
break through and I'll be doing all I can to help them
to get back into the top division."
Emburey is in no doubt that Fleming
is the ideal man for the job.
"He's absolutely perfect for us,"
the former off-spinner said.
"He's played a lot of tests at
a comparatively young age, he's strong-minded and undemonstrative,
and holds the middle-order together.
"He'll be a great acquisition to
help the younger players."
Emburey was impressed by the left-hander's
composure under pressure, and by the way he related
to the raft of younger players in the side.
"Stephen's very calm and calculating
in his approach, especially in run chases," Emburey
said. "He plans every session - and to be there at the
end of it.
"He'll readjust his sights depending
on where he thinks the team should be. He offers a lot
in the dressing-room and has certainly helped younger
players like Ben Hutton when they're together at the
crease."
Fraser also welcomed Fleming's
input.
"I'm new as far as captaincy's
concerned, but he's been just what I would have wanted
as an overseas player, giving me ideas but letting me
get on with things.
"It feels as if he's been around
for ages now."
|
