Mike Hussey backs Stephen Fleming’s England Test role and does not rule out joining staff
On 15 August 2026, former Australia batsman Mike Hussey praised Stephen Fleming after Fleming accepted the England Test coach role, saying Fleming combines respect for cricket’s fundamentals with a willingness to innovate and that he has not ruled out joining Fleming’s staff. Hussey summed up Fleming’s temperament as having “fire and ice. He really is excellent to work with.”
Hussey outlined a long working relationship with Fleming that extends across nearly two decades at Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. They were both part of CSK’s squad in 2008, Fleming became coach the following year and went on to spend 18 seasons in that role, delivering five titles and reaching nine finals before stepping away only weeks before accepting the England job. “It’s a remarkable story,” Hussey said of Fleming’s tenure, adding that even in the early CSK days Fleming’s man-management stood out: “He had a nice balance between being very organised and strategic but not forgetting the fun element of why we play the game and keeping things relaxed. I think he’s always got that balance right.”
On Fleming’s lack of recent red-ball coaching experience, Hussey dismissed that as a decisive shortcoming and argued many coaching principles transfer across formats. “I think a lot of his coaching traits and techniques are transferable, from white ball to red ball. It’s all about relationships and understanding the different personalities and trying to get the best out of them. Also, he played over 100 Test matches himself so he understands the fundamentals of the game.”
Hussey described qualities that he believes would have appealed to the England and Wales Cricket Board’s interview panel, balancing respect for tradition with an eye for future trends. “He was always trying to stay ahead of the game and figure out the next trends but he’s also got a lot of respect for the basics of the game and players that had craft and skill. He’s a balanced person, he respects the traditions of the game but is also trying to push the boundaries. That’s why I think he’s a nice fit for the England role.”
Recalling Fleming’s on-field composure and a different side seen on the CSK coaching staff, Hussey described both calm and passion in Fleming’s approach. “One thing I really admired about Flem is that I played under him and he just seemed so cool, calm and collected. Nothing at all seemed to faze him. He just seemed so totally in control all the time … but then I joined the coaching staff at CSK and I saw a completely different side to him – how passionate he is, how angry he gets when things don’t go right and how he rides the wave a lot more. He has this ability to remain calm in front of the players so as not to put any added pressure on them but around us coaches he lets out more of his feelings and his frustrations. He has fire and ice. He really is excellent to work with.”
Asked whether he could envisage joining Fleming’s England staff, Hussey said he had not given it serious thought and set out the other commitments he currently balances. “To be honest, I’ve not given it any thought. I’ve been working with CSK but I don’t know if that’s going to continue either with Flem not there any more … I love working in the Hundred, I love doing some commentary back home in Australia, it is a nice balance at the moment. I’m not going to say I wouldn’t in the future …” He also recalled earlier reactions to his brief 2022 stint with England as a consultant coach during their successful T20 World Cup campaign in Australia and the jibes that followed, saying, “Agh! I take that as a real dagger to the heart!” and reflecting, “I must admit, pulling on that shirt the very first day, it did make me feel a bit weird. I did this sort of whole body shiver initially but then I was right into it.”
A couple of days after the interview there were reports that Fleming had approached Hussey to become England’s batting coach. “Mr Cricket has been approached by the enemy,” the Australian cricket broadcaster SEN announced a few hours later. Hussey is currently head coach of Welsh Fire men in The Hundred and is working with Joe Root; on the pair’s potential fit with Fleming he said, “Flem really loves talking about the game and exploring where he can take it and I get that sense with Joe as well. Both guys have fantastic attributes that I think will really complement each other.” He also warned that family considerations and lengthy time away from home shaped his decisions: “It would be exciting to be involved in Test match cricket again but there’s a lot of family dynamics you need to consider and the amount of time away. That’s why I retired [from playing] ultimately. You can be on the road for 10 months of the year and that’s not really a great sort of work-life balance.”
With the Ashes approaching next summer, reports linking Fleming and Hussey — and the SEN announcement that “Mr Cricket has been approached by the enemy” — have placed Hussey’s future involvement with England’s Test setup squarely in the spotlight.
