Indian Premier League Cricket

Stephen Paul Fleming is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team.  The New Zealand national cricket team is also known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket.

He played for 111 tests and 280 ODIs. He is a most successful captain of New Zealand with 28 victories to his credit. He has won test series against almost all the major cricket playing nations such as India, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe

In February 2008, Fleming announced his retirement from the New Zealand team at the end of England’s 2008 tour to spend more time with his family and to play for the Indian Premier League

Fleming Personal information:

Stephen Fleming was a former New Zealand cricketer. He bore on 1 April 1973 in Christchurch, New Zealand His full name is Stephen Paul Fleming. He is called by his nickname ‘Sole Flems’.

Fleming married to his long term partner Kelly Payne on 9 May 2007. He was blessed with a daughter born in 2006 and a son Cooper in 2008. His son was born during the Semi Finals of the IPL tournament in India.

His father was President of the South Christchurch Cricket Club.

Fleming’s Playing Style:

He is left handed batsman and right arm medium fast bowler. He led New Zealand as a captain and played at higher middle order batsman.

Indian Cricket League & Indian Premier League:

There was speculation in 2007 that Flaming might join controversial Indian rebel Twenty20 league, the Indian Cricket League. However he reputed the speculations and has joined the ‘official’ Indian Twenty20 league, the Indian Premier League. He played for the Chennai Super Kings a franchise of Indian Premier League. Fleming signed a contract for US$350,000 to play for the Chennai Super Kings

Fleming’s Cricket Career:

He played for the following teams:

*    Canterbury        From 1991 to 2000

*    Australia        From 1994 to 2008

*    Wellington         From 2000 to date

*    Middlesex        In year 2001

*    Yorkshire        In year 2003

*    Nottinghamshire    From 2005 to 2007

Fleming’s  Test Career:

Fleming was debuted to test on 19 March 1994 against India and he played his last test against England on 22 March 2008.

Fleming on his Test debut scored 92 runs and won the Man of the Match award.

Fleming was criticized for his inability in extending his fifties to hundreds. Fleming had made only 9 test and 8 ODI centuries where as he scored 46 test and 49 ODI half centuries. However during his Sri Lanka tour in the 2003, he made glorious 274 not out and silenced his critics.  He would have easily reached 300 which could have been a record in New Zealand cricket history but for his selfless declaration for sake of his team and New Zealand.

His maiden century was in 1996 -1997 in the first test against England at Auckland. Fleming was capped as a captain in the third test. He took over the captaincy from Lee Germon and he had become the New Zealand’s youngest captain at 23 years and 321 days. His journey of captainship was very smooth and extremely successful. In September 2000 he eclipsed the record of Geoff by registering his 12th victory over Zimbabwe.

Year 2006 may be memorable to Fleming. In the second Test against South Africa at New Zealand’s Cape Town in April 2006, Fleming made his 3rd Test double-century scoring 262 runs and became the first New Zealander to achieve this feat. Fleming’s eighth wicket partnership along with Wellington team-mate James Franklin produced 256 runs. It is the highest partnership to date in Tests between New Zealand and South Africa. It is also a New Zealand record for the 8th wicket against any country.

As of April 2007, Fleming had captained New Zealand in 80 Test matches. It is a New Zealand record and the second highest number worldwide.  In September 2007, Fleming was replaced by Daniel Vettori as the New Zealand Test captain. Fleming also left English county Nottinghamshire after three years as captain

His swan’s song was sweetest while last searies against England. His cumulative total was 297 in six innings. In the first innings of the second test against England, he scored his 7000th run in his 110th match. In his final test at, Napier, he scored half-centuries in both innings to ensure that he finished with a Test match average of 40.06.

His One Day International Career:

He was debuted to ODI on 25 March 1994 against India and played his last ODI on 24th April 2007 against Sri Lanka

Fleming’s best ODI was in the 2003 Cricket World Cup staged in South Africa. He made 134 not against host South Africa. The match was won by New Zealand with nine wickets mainly due to Fleming’s contribution.

On 25 October 2006, Fleming captained his country for the 194th time in an ODI. It was  a world record, overtaking Arjuna Ranatunga.

On 24 April 2007, Fleming resigned as the ODI captain of the Blackcaps. The announcement was made in a post-match press conference held after the Semi-Final defeat to Sri Lanka in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. After Fleming’s last match as captain, Mahela Jayawardene added a tribute. “Stephen’s been a great leader for New Zealand for some time, and you could learn a lot from him”. Over a decade of leading the side he finished with 218 games, 98 wins, and 106 losses.

Domestic Cricket

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Fleming has played county cricket in England for Middlesex, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. He captained Nottinghamshire to County Championship victory in 2005, their first Championship title in 18 years.

He played 247 First Class matches scoring 16,409 at an average of 43.87. His highest in First Class was 274 not out. He played 461 List ‘A’ matches scoring 14,037 at an average of 35, 09 His highest in List ‘A’ was 139 not out

Flemings fielding regard:

As a fielder, Fleming took over 170 catches in 111 tests giving him the 3rd highest Test aggregate for a non-wicketkeeper. Similarly in 280 ODIs he took 133 catches. In 340 First Class matches he took 340 catches and in 461 List ‘A’ matches he took 226 catches.