Stephen Fleming is one of the most successful test captains for New Zealand. He was also the youngest captain for New Zealand, when he captained his team at the age of 23. Fleming had hardly any experience as a captain when he was chosen. He replaced Lee Germon. Fleming had led a national youth side to a series win against Australia a few years earlier but had never captained even Canterbury, his local team. Still, Fleming's talent as a cricketer and the amount of maturity he displayed both on and off the field made him bear the captain's cap. His appointment along with that of Coach Steve Rixon and manager John Graham was one of the important decisions which helped in building a strong New Zealand team.
As a batsman, Fleming is arguably New Zealand's prolific stroke making player. His most favorite shot is the straight drive which he plays to utmost perfection and elegance. Though he is technically strong, he has the inability to play long innings often. Many a time has he got out between 50 and 100, which is the reason why he has only 6 one day centuries to his credit from 218 matches. But Fleming has improved his game play in the recent days and has learnt to play more productive innings.
He is a thinking cricketer and as a captain he has always made his team put the extra effort every time. The way he has led New Zealand and his players respect for him make him one of the highly regarded captains in today's cricket.
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