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“He’d probably tell you the same thing now if you asked him. In that first year he often said to me, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing!’”
If there is one man who can lift the lid on England’s inscrutable new Test coach, it is Mike Hussey. The former Australia Test star has worked closely with Stephen Fleming for the best part of the past 20 years – playing alongside, underneath and as part of the same coaching staff at Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Hussey and Fleming were part of CSK’s squad in 2008, the tournament’s inaugural year. Fleming became coach the following year and spent 18 seasons in the role, delivering five titles and reaching nine finals. He stepped away from the franchise only weeks before accepting the England job.
“It’s a remarkable story,” says Hussey of Fleming’s unparalleled tenure. “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.”
Hussey gives short shrift to the fact Fleming has not had any red-ball coaching experience, something that has been flagged as a gap on his CV regarding the England Test job.
“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.”
What are the traits that Fleming has that might have impressed the England and Wales Cricket Board’s interview panel?
“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.”
Fleming always seems so phlegmatic but Hussey must have seen him when the ticker is going and the blood is pumping?
“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 is mock offended by my next question. “Agh! I take that as a real dagger to the heart!” he replies. I have just explained that I can absolutely picture him on England’s balcony when the first ball of the Ashes is delivered next summer but that, conversely, I could never envisage Justin Langer donning an England tracksuit at all.
“What are you saying, that I’m less patriotic than JL?” jokes Hussey. I remind him he’s already dipped a toe, having worked with England in 2022 as a “consultant coach” during their successful T20 World Cup campaign in Australia. Would Hussey consider joining his old CSK compadre as part of England’s Test setup with the Ashes approaching next summer?
“To be honest, I’ve not given it any thought. I’ve been working with CSK but I don’t know if that’s going to continue either with Flem not there any more … I love working in the Hundred, I love doing some commentary back home in Australia, it is a nice balance at the moment. I’m not going to say I wouldn’t in the future …”
A couple of days after we speak there are reports that Hussey has been approached by Fleming to become England’s batting coach. “Mr Cricket has been approached by the enemy,” the Australian cricket broadcaster SEN announced a few hours later.
When Hussey took the short-term coaching job with England four years ago he received some jibes from former teammates. At the time he also recalled driving in his car when a local Perth radio station hosted a phone-in to debate whether Hussey was “un-Australian’ because of his dalliance with the Poms.
“I must admit, pulling on that shirt the very first day, it did make me feel a bit weird,” Hussey says four years later. “ I did this sort of whole body shiver initially but then I was right into it.
“I guess I see it differently to some in that as soon as you get in the nets and you start working with the players, you almost forget which shirt you’ve got on. You’re just working with players and trying to help players get better and get the best out of themselves.”
“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 is now coaching Joe Root in his role as head coach of Welsh Fire men in The Hundred. He believes the returning captain is simpatico with Fleming.
“Flem really loves talking about the game and exploring where he can take it and I get that sense with Joe as well. Both guys have fantastic attributes that I think will really complement each other.”
It might not be too long before Fleming, Hussey and Root are all reunited behind a common cause. You can at least picture it, can’t you?
