Michael Hussey Stephen Fleming England Coach Fire And Ice

Former Australian batsman Michael Hussey has backed Stephen Fleming’s appointment as England’s Test coach, saying that the New Zealander was a “balanced person” and was “excellent to work with”.

Hussey, who has worked with Fleming in the Chennai Super Kings setup, felt that the former Blackcaps captain had “fire and ice” in his personality and tried to stay a step ahead in the game, without losing sight of the game’s basics.

“One thing I really admired about Flem is that I played under him and he just seemed so cool, calm and collected. Nothing at all seemed to faze him. He just seemed so totally in control all the time … but then I joined the coaching staff at CSK, and I saw a completely different side to him – how passionate he is, how angry he gets when things don’t go right and how he rides the wave a lot more.”

“He has this ability to remain calm in front of the players so as not to put any added pressure on them, but around us coaches he lets out more of his feelings and his frustrations. He has fire and ice. He really is excellent to work with,” Hussey told The Guardian.

“He was always trying to stay ahead of the game and figure out the next trends, but he’s also got a lot of respect for the basics of the game and players that had craft and skill. He’s a balanced person; he respects the traditions of the game but is also trying to push the boundaries. That’s why I think he’s a nice fit for the England role,” he added.

The England role will be Fleming’s first-ever assignment as a red-ball coach, but Hussey felt that a lot of the skills from white-ball to red-ball coaching were “transferable”.

“I think a lot of his coaching traits and techniques are transferable from white ball to red ball. It’s all about relationships and understanding the different personalities and trying to get the best out of them. Also, he played over 100 Test matches himself, so he understands the fundamentals of the game.”

“Even in those early days at CSK, his man-management skills were really strong. He had a nice balance between being very organised and strategic, but not forgetting the fun element of why we play the game and keeping things relaxed. I think he’s always got that balance right,” he said.

Following Fleming’s appointment, there was speculation that the Australian would join him in the England setup. Hussey said he had not given any thought to taking up a role in the New Zealander’s support staff.

“It would be exciting to be involved in Test match cricket again, but there’s a lot of family dynamics you need to consider and the amount of time away. That’s why I retired [from playing] ultimately. You can be on the road for 10 months of the year, and that’s not really a great sort of work-life balance,” Hussey added.

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