New England Test coach Stephen Fleming has reportedly approached former Australia batter Michael Hussey to become the team’s batting coach…reports London Daily News Desk
New England Test head coach Stephen Fleming has reportedly identified former Australia batter Michael Hussey as his preferred choice for England’s batting coach role, with initial discussions already underway.
According to 7News Australia, Fleming has approached the 51-year-old to assess his interest, although the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has yet to make a formal offer.
Hussey is currently coaching Welsh Fire in The Hundred and also serves as batting coach for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League, where he has worked closely with Fleming for several years.
The pair have shared a long coaching partnership, having first played together for CSK during the inaugural IPL season in 2008 before later working together as head coach and batting coach at the franchise.
If appointed, Hussey would join England’s coaching set-up ahead of the Ashes, more than a decade after retiring from international cricket in 2013.
Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, is due to officially begin his tenure as England’s red-ball head coach during the team’s three-Test tour of South Africa in December.
Former England batter Marcus Trescothick will oversee the side on an interim basis during the upcoming three-Test series against Pakistan, which begins at Headingley on August 19.
Australian David Saker is expected to remain bowling coach for the Pakistan series. However, the report said Fleming is also keen to bring in South African coach Eric Simmons, another long-time colleague from Chennai Super Kings, to take charge of England’s bowling unit in the future.
Simmons currently works as a bowling consultant with CSK and previously served as India’s bowling coach during the team’s successful 2011 ODI World Cup campaign. He has also held coaching roles with South Africa.
Meanwhile, former England captain Ben Stokes has ruled out returning to international cricket as a player, saying his retirement is final, but revealed he hopes to one day coach the national team.
Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast hosted by former England team-mate Jos Buttler, Stokes said he was preparing for the next chapter of his career by completing his Level Three coaching qualification.
Stokes brought his international career to an end following England’s 2-1 Test series defeat to New Zealand in June. His retirement came after he was dropped for disciplinary reasons following England’s victory in the Lord’s Test, with the all-rounder later admitting the demands of four years as captain had left him mentally exhausted.
Last week, England men’s managing director Rob Key said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Stokes returned to international cricket, fuelling speculation that the 35-year-old could reverse his decision as he did before the 2023 ODI World Cup.
However, Stokes dismissed any suggestion of another comeback.
“I’m definitely retired,” he said.
The former all-rounder said his focus had shifted towards coaching and remaining involved in the game after his playing career.
“I’m doing my level three coaching now while I’m still playing, because when the day comes that I’m not playing anymore, I’d love to be able to have all that stuff signed off and done.
“I know what I want to do in terms of staying within the game, which is to be a coach.
“And would I love to be coach of England one day? Absolutely. I just really like the idea of being in some form of leadership away from playing.”
Stokes’ comments come as Joe Root begins his second spell as England’s Test captain after being reappointed following the New Zealand series.
ICC Locks Qualifier Dates
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly finalised the dates for the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup Qualifier, with the 10-team tournament scheduled to take place from February 22 to March 23 next year.
While the tournament window has been confirmed, the host nation has yet to be announced. According to ESPNcricinfo, the ICC has completed the scheduling process and is in the final stages of selecting the venue.
The Qualifier will determine the remaining teams for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from October 4 to November 21.
The tournament follows the revised qualification pathway unveiled by the ICC in July for the expanded 14-team World Cup.
Under the new format, the winner of the Qualifier will earn direct entry into the 12-team main stage of the World Cup. The teams finishing second, third and fourth will progress to the newly introduced Super Series, the opening phase of the tournament, where they will compete for the final remaining place in the main group stage.
The 10-team Qualifier will feature the two lowest-ranked Full Member nations in the ICC ODI rankings, excluding hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, as of September 30, 2026.
They will be joined by the top four teams from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 and four sides advancing from the World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
The race for automatic qualification remains particularly important for the West Indies, who are currently 10th in the ICC ODI rankings. The Caribbean side has only two ODIs left before the September 30 rankings cut-off, both against India.
Their chances of avoiding the Qualifier will also depend on the outcome of Afghanistan’s forthcoming ODI series against Ireland, with the final ODI rankings expected to determine the last automatic entrants to the World Cup.
