England’s Ashes winner Monty Panesar has slammed the ECB’s choice of replacing Test coach Brendon McCullum with his compatriot Stephen Fleming. The ECB sacked McCullum days after Ben Stokes announced his shock Test retirement after the end of the third Test against New Zealand. While they handpicked Joe Root as the new Test captain, overlooking vice-captain Harry Brook for the role, Panesar feels the ECB rushed into naming Fleming as the new Test coach. The spinner, however, picked Michael Vaughan as the right man to lead England’s Test ambitions.&nbsp;Panesar feels it was MS Dhoni who made Fleming look like a great coach in the IPL, and that Fleming wouldn’t have the former Indian captain by his side in this English Test setup. Moreover, with no experience of coaching an international team, Panesar feels Fleming’s appointment could go either way for England.&nbsp;Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ecb-unhappy-cricket-ireland-host-afghanistan-odi-series-1785941546120">ECB unhappy with Cricket Ireland for hosting Afghanistan in ODIs – Report</a> &nbsp;“I think the ECB should have appointed Michael Vaughan because he won the Ashes in 2005. He knows how to mastermind (victories) against the Australians. He’s an Englishman, and probably has the best man-management skills that we know. It’s a man-management role,” Panesar said in a chat with The Indian Express. &nbsp;“They went with Fleming, who doesn’t have the great man, MS Dhoni. What made Fleming a great coach? Dhoni. We cannot forget this. He’s been working with Dhoni for a long time. Suddenly, Dhoni is not as active in the IPL as he used to be. And Fleming couldn’t keep Chennai Super Kings at the same level. So, we’ll probably get to know Fleming and how good he is as a coach,” he added.<h2>A Possible Tiff Between Two Kiwi Coaches on the Cards?</h2>Upon being asked how England Cricket would shape up with two Kiwi coaches at the helm of things, Panesar said it would be interesting to see how the two former teammates agree on picking players across formats and help England dominate. &nbsp;“I suppose it’d be interesting. Like if Fleming wants his best players for red-ball cricket, and then not making them available for white ball, would McCullum agree to that? Or do they both agree, maybe, for the important white-ball games, some of the Test match players are available for that? &nbsp;“But then possibly for the less important ones, they don’t play. But because McCullum looks up to Fleming, he’ll probably agree to him. Also, with a view to winning the Ashes next year (In England), I think McCullum probably would accommodate Fleming for the Ashes, and then it would reverse for the World Cup (50-over in South Africa) in October,” Panesar argued. &nbsp;Meanwhile, with the Pakistan Tests next for England, Panesar feels the ECB could stick with flatter pitches for the three-match Test series to ensure matches last longer.&nbsp; &nbsp;“Well, I suppose the next Test series is in August now against Pakistan. The corporate hospitality industry is massive in this country. The ECB would want the games to go into at least a fourth day. Pakistan are not at their strongest. So, they may just produce slightly flatter pitches. The ball will probably turn a lot more, I suspect, because of the heatwave we’ve had here over the last couple of months. I don’t think they’ll produce green pitches,” he added.

Monty Panesar slams the ECB’s decision to hire Stephen Fleming as England Test coach, claiming MS Dhoni made Fleming look great at CSK and backing Michael Vaughan for the role.

England’s Ashes winner Monty Panesar has slammed the ECB’s choice of replacing Test coach Brendon McCullum with his compatriot Stephen Fleming. The ECB sacked McCullum days after Ben Stokes announced his shock Test retirement after the end of the third Test against New Zealand. While they handpicked Joe Root as the new Test captain, overlooking vice-captain Harry Brook for the role, Panesar feels the ECB rushed into naming Fleming as the new Test coach. The spinner, however, picked Michael Vaughan as the right man to lead England’s Test ambitions. Panesar feels it was MS Dhoni who made Fleming look like a great coach in the IPL, and that Fleming wouldn’t have the former Indian captain by his side in this English Test setup. Moreover, with no experience of coaching an international team, Panesar feels Fleming’s appointment could go either way for England. Also read| ECB unhappy with Cricket Ireland for hosting Afghanistan in ODIs – Report “I think the ECB should have appointed Michael Vaughan because he won the Ashes in 2005. He knows how to mastermind (victories) against the Australians. He’s an Englishman, and probably has the best man-management skills that we know. It’s a man-management role,” Panesar said in a chat with The Indian Express. “They went with Fleming, who doesn’t have the great man, MS Dhoni. What made Fleming a great coach? Dhoni. We cannot forget this. He’s been working with Dhoni for a long time. Suddenly, Dhoni is not as active in the IPL as he used to be. And Fleming couldn’t keep Chennai Super Kings at the same level. So, we’ll probably get to know Fleming and how good he is as a coach,” he added. A Possible Tiff Between Two Kiwi Coaches on the Cards? Upon being asked how England Cricket would shape up with two Kiwi coaches at the helm of things, Panesar said it would be interesting to see how the two former teammates agree on picking players across formats and help England dominate. “I suppose it’d be interesting. Like if Fleming wants his best players for red-ball cricket, and then not making them available for white ball, would McCullum agree to that? Or do they both agree, maybe, for the important white-ball games, some of the Test match players are available for that? “But then possibly for the less important ones, they don’t play. But because McCullum looks up to Fleming, he’ll probably agree to him. Also, with a view to winning the Ashes next year (In England), I think McCullum probably would accommodate Fleming for the Ashes, and then it would reverse for the World Cup (50-over in South Africa) in October,” Panesar argued. Meanwhile, with the Pakistan Tests next for England, Panesar feels the ECB could stick with flatter pitches for the three-match Test series to ensure matches last longer. “Well, I suppose the next Test series is in August now against Pakistan. The corporate hospitality industry is massive in this country. The ECB would want the games to go into at least a fourth day. Pakistan are not at their strongest. So, they may just produce slightly flatter pitches. The ball will probably turn a lot more, I suspect, because of the heatwave we’ve had here over the last couple of months. I don’t think they’ll produce green pitches,” he added.

Monty Panesar slams the ECB’s decision to hire Stephen Fleming as England Test coach, claiming MS Dhoni made Fleming look great at CSK and backing Michael Vaughan for the role.

'Dhoni Made Fleming Great': Panesar says ECB made the wrong choice for England Test coach

England Test captain Ben Stokes has rubbished rumours of a rift with his team's head coach Brendon McCullum, calling it a 'massive overstatement.' Stokes and McCullum pioneered Bazball cricket since coming together as coach and captain in 2022. While they have been in close alliance, differences in their approach were on display during the horrendous away Ashes. After England conceded the five-match Test series (1-4) to Australia, reports of a potential tiff between the two began surfacing.&nbsp;The two men backed each other in public at the end of the away Ashes, with Stokes reiterating that position following media reports of a post-Ashes review that had revealed tensions between them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/make-or-break-why-away-uk-tour-2026-could-decide-suryakumar-yadav-t20i-future-indian-captaincy-ipl-2026-mumbai-indians-1776174929526">Make or Break: Why UK tour could decide Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I future</a> &nbsp;"Saying we weren't aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement," Stokes said in an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board published Tuesday. "When you're in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you're always going to agree on everything, then it's just impossible." &nbsp;England are back in Test action in June, against New Zealand, before taking on Pakistan at home as well. Stokes said there would be a change in how he worked with McCullum as the team looks to return to winning ways ahead of the 2027 Ashes in England. &nbsp;"I'm very confident in mine and Brendon's ability to be able to work together, because we've done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way," he said. "The main point of me and Brendon is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That's always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now to how that operates -- on the back of four years working together. &nbsp;"Hopefully, we'll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win." &nbsp;Meanwhile, Stokes is currently recovering from a facial injury after being struck by a stray ball in pre-season training, but is expected to lead England in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on June 4.&nbsp;&nbsp;(With inputs from AFP)

Ben Stokes has dismissed reports of a rift with Brendon McCullum as a "massive overstatement." The England captain addressed the post-Ashes fallout and shared a key update on his fitness ahead of the summer series against New Zealand.

England Test captain Ben Stokes has rubbished rumours of a rift with his team's head coach Brendon McCullum, calling it a 'massive overstatement.' Stokes and McCullum pioneered Bazball cricket since coming together as coach and captain in 2022. While they have been in close alliance, differences in their approach were on display during the horrendous away Ashes. After England conceded the five-match Test series (1-4) to Australia, reports of a potential tiff between the two began surfacing. The two men backed each other in public at the end of the away Ashes, with Stokes reiterating that position following media reports of a post-Ashes review that had revealed tensions between them. Also read | Make or Break: Why UK tour could decide Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I future "Saying we weren't aligned, I think, is a massive overstatement," Stokes said in an in-house interview with the England and Wales Cricket Board published Tuesday. "When you're in a position of leadership along with someone else, if anyone thinks that you're always going to agree on everything, then it's just impossible." England are back in Test action in June, against New Zealand, before taking on Pakistan at home as well. Stokes said there would be a change in how he worked with McCullum as the team looks to return to winning ways ahead of the 2027 Ashes in England. "I'm very confident in mine and Brendon's ability to be able to work together, because we've done it for such a long period of time now, but work together in a slightly different way," he said. "The main point of me and Brendon is our alignment towards winning things and making this team as good as they can be. That's always been the thing since we started. It might just look a little bit different now to how that operates -- on the back of four years working together. "Hopefully, we'll still be together at the end of 2027, winning what we want to win." Meanwhile, Stokes is currently recovering from a facial injury after being struck by a stray ball in pre-season training, but is expected to lead England in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on June 4. (With inputs from AFP)

Ben Stokes has dismissed reports of a rift with Brendon McCullum as a "massive overstatement." The England captain addressed the post-Ashes fallout and shared a key update on his fitness ahead of the summer series against New Zealand.

‘Massive Overstatement’: Ben Stokes rubbishes rumours of rift with coach McCullum

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'Dhoni Made Fleming Great': Panesar says ECB made the wrong choice for England Test coach

‘Massive Overstatement’: Ben Stokes rubbishes rumours of rift with McCullum