Stephen Fleming makes the World Test Championship England's target as he takes over

England's new Test head coach has set the World Test Championship and the world No.1 ranking as the targets of his four-year term

Stephen Fleming, appointed in late July to replace Brendon McCullum as England's Test head coach, used his first media engagement in the job to name two objectives: the World Test Championship and the top place in the Test rankings.

The former New Zealand captain spoke at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday, with England's white-ball series against Sri Lanka drawing to a close and his own first assignment still three months away.

"I would love to be in charge of the No.1 Test team in the world," Fleming said. "That would be my aspiration." That ranking currently belongs to Australia, and England have not held it since 2012.

A trophy England have never played for

England sit sixth in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle and have not qualified for any of the first three finals, each of which was staged in England.

"It's high [on the agenda], it's aspirational," Fleming said of the competition. "England could do much better than that."

He framed the target as a matter of logic rather than ambition for its own sake. "If that's one of the pinnacle trophies in world cricket, why would we not be trying to get it along with every other marquee event that comes our way?"

Identity before results

Fleming returned repeatedly to the idea of identity, extending it to details that rarely reach a coach's opening statement. "And even attitude just around the over rate, I think, comes down to identity and style of play," he said.

"The way players represent England and the group is going to be really important to me," he added, describing an approach he wants the squad itself to shape.

He was careful not to present the target as a short walk. "Now, I don't say that lightly, there's a lot of hard work to do and players must be balanced around that," he said. "But it's aspirational and that's why I'm here. That opportunity is real, but there's a huge amount of work to do."

From franchise cricket back to red ball

Fleming arrives from a long run in franchise cricket, most of it with Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, and described the England job as a return to the format that shaped him.

"It's one of the most prestigious jobs in cricket. I was very honoured to be asked," he said.

"I'm really looking forward to almost coming back to red-ball cricket and having a little bit more time and, probably more importantly, creating relationships that are a bit more than skin deep," he said. "Now to have time to work with a group of players over months and years, really excites me."

A divided coaching structure

McCullum lost the Test job after the Ashes defeat and a home series loss to New Zealand, but remains in charge of England's white-ball sides alongside limited-overs captain Harry Brook.

The same announcement returned Joe Root to the Test captaincy, the role he held between 2017 and 2022, after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket.

Fleming's contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board runs to September 2030, long enough to cover two full World Test Championship cycles.

South Africa first

His first outing in charge is an away series of three Tests in South Africa, beginning on 17 December.

South Africa hold the World Test Championship mace, won against Australia at Lord's in 2025, which hands Fleming an immediate measure of the distance he has just described.

The date gives him three months with a squad he has yet to take into a Test, and a timeline he has framed in months and years rather than in matches.

Fleming takes charge of an England side lying sixth in the current World Test Championship cycle, with his first Test in the job starting on 17 December.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.