Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has backed incoming head coach Stephen Fleming to bring some “old school” methods back to the Test team.
Moeen played under the New Zealander for four seasons at Chennai Super Kings, winning two India Premier League titles, and also worked with him at CSK’s sister franchise in Johannesburg.
Few English players know Fleming better and Moeen, who had a brief taste of Brendon McCullum’s regime in the 2023 Ashes, is confident he is well suited to red-ball cricket despite an 18-year stint on the T20 franchise circuit.
“It’s a great appointment, I think it’s the right time for him and for England too,” Moeen told the Press Association.
“He’s got a really nice demeanour, he’s brilliant at communicating and he’s a lot more old school than Baz (McCullum), who was a free spirit kind of coach. Flem is very different, he’s more intense than people see but he’s good at controlling his emotions.
“Even though he’s been a good T20 coach, he knows Test cricket and won over a hundred caps, you never forget those things. He’s a manager style coach, someone who gets people in the right frame of mind.”
Moeen, who became the first English player to win the IPL under Fleming’s guidance in 2021, added: “He was always very clear with how he wanted me to play. That clarity was probably the reason I had such a year.
“Even when we had a bad season he was extremely calm; he’s someone who takes the pressure off players and takes it on himself.”
Speaking after the appointment was announced, managing director Rob Key insisted English cricket was “incredibly lucky” to attract Fleming but Moeen suggested it was a two-way street.
“The opportunity is too good to turn down, it’s still an amazing job to have,” he said.
“This is still one of the biggest jobs in world and at some stage he would have wanted to have a crack at it.
“The IPL is great, don’t get me wrong, but to be a Test coach, especially for one of the big teams, is still the ultimate job.”
