Vaughan questions ECB over Fleming's delayed arrival

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has issued a blunt warning to newly-appointed Test coach Stephen Fleming, questioning why the ECB agreed to let the New Zealander delay his start until England's tour of South Africa later this year rather than take charge immediately for the home series against Pakistan.

Fleming was confirmed as England's new Test coach earlier this month after Brendon McCullum was removed from the role, though the New Zealander retains his position as the team's white-ball coach. However, Fleming will not oversee England during the upcoming three-Test home series against Pakistan, which begins on August 19 at Headingley — with Marcus Trescothick remaining as interim coach until Fleming takes over ahead of the South Africa tour.

Questioning the decision, Vaughan said England would squander a valuable opportunity to help Fleming familiarise himself with the role before bigger assignments such as the Ashes.

"Stephen Fleming is a good appointment as England's Test coach, but he should be in position for the start of the Pakistan series, rather than taking over fully for the South Africa tour in December," Vaughan wrote in the Telegraph. "It is about the small details, gaining experience of going to grounds such as Edgbaston – which hosts an Ashes Test – getting to know people involved in English cricket and fact-finding about our game by meeting the county coaches who can help him. These are the one-per-cent details England let slip during the Brendon McCullum years but are required to win major trophies."

A subtle sign of diminished allure

Vaughan also suggested that England agreeing to Fleming's preferred timeline reflected a shift in the appeal of the coaching role on the international stage.

"It also suggests the England job has lost a little of its allure because he does not feel he must start immediately. It also shows a little bit of caution that England were willing to appoint a candidate on his terms, rather than their own."

The MS Dhoni problem

Fleming arrives in England after two decades with the Chennai Super Kings, where he led the franchise to five IPL titles and two Champions League trophies alongside captain MS Dhoni before stepping down earlier this month. Vaughan, however, warned that the former New Zealand skipper would be walking into an altogether different environment, pointing out that England captain Joe Root does not offer the same dynamic that Dhoni provided at Chennai.

"Fleming is very well respected, renowned for being a very good manager and tactician. I've seen him at the IPL, and his biggest advantage was that we do have an MS Dhoni to run the ship at Chennai Super Kings, and Fleming had some really good backroom coaches as well," Vaughan wrote. "Eric Simons was a wonderful bowling coach for him, a master at getting the white ball to swing. His team was built around skill with the ball, not express pace. I wonder whether that is an indication that the skill side of bowling will come back into the England Test team rather than just out-and-out speed."

Vaughan concluded that the most important quality for a successful coaching cycle in English cricket will be adapting to a situation where there is no Dhoni-style captain to lean on — a challenge he believes Fleming will soon discover.