'Beat the Aussies' - new England coach Fleming's key aim

New England Test coach Stephen Fleming said he shares the nation's obsession with the Ashes and is determined to beat Australia. Speaking to the media for the first time since his appointment in July and ahead of taking charge of the South Africa tour in December, Fleming noted that, like his predecessor Brendon McCullum, he is from New Zealand, which he described as the “little cousin” of Australia. The upcoming Ashes series in the United Kingdom next summer will give England a chance to defeat Australia for the first time since 2015 and to avenge a 4‑1 loss suffered during the previous winter. When asked whether England is overly focused on beating Australia, Fleming told BBC Sport: “No, due to the fact that I person an obsession with it arsenic well. New Zealand has an obsession with it, we emotion it.” He continued: “We privation to bushed the Aussies. We're heavy linked to England performances. We person a heavy tendency to bushed Australia successful everything, arsenic the small cousin. We are linked, and I'm incredibly excited astir being portion of it.” “You don't deliberation you're ever going to get that opportunity. To person that accidental and beryllium portion of it, I can't wait.” “I privation to beryllium my champion aforesaid and person a squad that represents itself successful the champion imaginable way. I've got a imaginativeness of that and it's aspirational. It volition beryllium brilliant.” Fleming, the former New Zealand captain, never recorded a victory in the 14 Tests he played against Australia. He succeeds his former teammate McCullum, who was removed as Test coach earlier this summer but remains in charge of the white‑ball side. Under McCullum, England won only two of his last ten Tests in charge, including the heavy defeat in Australia. Criticism of England under McCullum and former captain Ben Stokes centred on their struggle to adapt to shifting Test‑match conditions and a lack of attention to detail. Fleming, a close associate of McCullum and business partner, contrasted their approaches: “I'll stake connected the favourite and he'll stake connected the longest likelihood possible.” On the question of whether a Test side needs a distinct brand or style, he said: “I don't deliberation so. The top happening for a squad to bash is to beryllium capable to play conditions and situations.” He added: “I'd emotion radical to accidental we are well-planned, there's a subject and a truly beardown basal operation to what we're doing, but there's besides a spot of flair.”