Fleming - not short of admirers. (Allsport)
STEPHEN FLEMING
Born: 01.04.73
One-day internationals: 189
Batting: Left Hand (Avge: 30.60)
Bowling: Right Hand Slow Medium (Avge: 28.00)
Catches: 94
No less a judge than Shane Warne has hailed Fleming as the best captain on the international circuit - and, looking at the way he has transformed New Zealand cricket, it is easy to see why.
Marrying a forward-thinking, aggressive approach with an uncanny ability to bring the best out of his players, the country's youngest captain - he was just 23 when he took charge - is the main reason behind them developing into a team capable of challenging the best sides in the world.
'Team' is the operative word, for New Zealand - boasting few stars - truly are greater than the sum of their parts.
Equally articulate with bat or microphone in hand and blessed with almost model-like good looks, Fleming is not short of admirers.
Indeed, it is a measure of the esteem in which he is held by the board, players and fans alike that he is the only captain from the 1999 World Cup still in a job.
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