Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a cricket coach and former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team. He was a left-handed opening batter and an occasional right arm slow medium bowler. He is New Zealand's second-most capped Test cricketer with 111 appearances. He is also the team's longest-serving and most successful captain with 28 test victories and led the team to win the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the team's first International Cricket Council trophy. Fleming captained New Zealand in the first ever Twenty20 International against Australia in 2005. Fleming spent his 14 years playing for New Zealand growing up under the public gaze. It bore down harshly on him when he was one of the three New Zealand players who owned up to smoking a joint on just his second overseas tour to South Africa in 1994/95.

Stephen Fleming will go down in cricket history as his country's most successful captain and one of their best batters, and one of the finest T20 strategists in the first generation of the game. The first New Zealander to pass 7000 Test runs, he did enough in his last innings, in Napier against England, to lift his career average over 40. Nine Test centuries were a poor return for such a talent, but Fleming was worth more than his statistics. Fleming was an elegant left-handed batsman and played shots such as the flick off the pads, straight drive, cover drive and cut shots. He was also a prolific slip catcher and was particularly noted for his captaincy, having been praised by Shane Warne as the "best captain in world cricket".

From modest beginnings in Sydenham and being raised in a single-parent family, by his mum, Pauline, Fleming never had the trappings of privileged life as he worked his way to the top. Pauline Fleming ensured Stephen never went without, being the whites-washer and providing transport in those formative years at Waltham Primary and Cashmere High School. There Fleming came into contact with Bob Carter, assistant coach with the Black Caps, who steered him toward the Sydenham club where he started club cricket. Fleming played rugby for Cashmere High like his father. A left-handed batsman, Fleming made his test debut in March 1994 in the home series against India winning the Man of the Match award on debut after scoring 92.

A gangly Fleming was pitched into the Canterbury ranks as a 17 year old in 1991-92, the youngest of a group of talented tyros such as Chris Cairns, Chris Harris and Nathan Astle, who all carved out careers for New Zealand. Then provincial coach David Trist remembers saying to Crowe, who, at that time, was one of the world's premier batsmen: "Watch out, here's the heir apparent." "He had great natural ability wrapped up in a languid style. He also had an even mental state and a steady resolve," recalls Trist.

He made his ODI debut on 25 March 1994 in the first match of the ODI series that followed and scored an unbeaten 90. In England's tour of New Zealand in 1996/97, he scored his maiden test century in the first test at Auckland. Fleming never captained Canterbury, where he began his career in the early 1990s, as Lee Germon was well ensconced in that role. But Australian Steve Rixon, who took over coaching the Black Caps in 1996, saw leadership qualities. When Germon was deposed from the Black Caps mid-way through the 1996/97 season, Fleming was catapulted into the captaincy against England at a mere 23 years 319 days -- one of the youngest cricket captains in the world.

Fleming led the team to win the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, which was New Zealand's first ICC trophy. Fleming became New Zealand's most successful test captain in September 2000 with a victory over Zimbabwe which was the 12th win under his captaincy, overtaking Geoff Howarth and finished with 28 wins, the most by a New Zealand captain. Fleming's scored his best ODI score with an unbeaten 134 to help New Zealand beat hosts South Africa in the 2003 Cricket World Cup. Chasing a rain adjusted target of 229 off 39 overs, Fleming hit 134 off just 132 deliveries as New Zealand cruised to a 9-wicket victory. In February 2005, Fleming captained New Zealand in the first ever Twenty20 International against Australia. In the second Test between New Zealand and South Africa at Cape Town in April 2006, Fleming scored his 3rd Test double-century and became the first New Zealander to achieve this feat.

In October 2006, Fleming captained his country for the 194th time in an ODI overtaking Arjuna Ranatunga for most matches as a captain and finished with 218 games as a captain, a record which has since been eclipsed only by Ricky Ponting. He captained the side in the 2007 World Cup and scored 353 runs at an average of 39.22, leading the team to the semi-finals. In April 2007, Fleming resigned as captain in a post-match press conference held after the semi-Final defeat to Sri Lanka. In September 2007, Fleming was replaced by Daniel Vettori as the New Zealand captain. Fleming confirmed his retirement from the New Zealand team at the end of England's 2008 tour of New Zealand to spend more time with his family, and to play for the Indian Premier League. Fleming scored over 7000 runs in test cricket and took over 170 catches, the third highest Test aggregate for a non-wicket keeper.

Fleming weathered the storms, often leading an injury-stricken side, lacking the depth of most countries, on the international stage. He fronted up time and again to the media, gritting his teeth to repeated questioning about the Black Caps shortcomings. By this time Fleming had become forthright in his answers and did not tolerate fools. Should Fleming get wind of what he believed was an unfairly balanced article, the correspondent would be rebuked with a sharp aside, at times in a public forum. Fleming often described the media as his hardest opponent.

Fleming was often in conflict with Auckland cricket writer Richard Boock, who castigated him for what he believed was effectively match-fixing a game in the 2001 tri-series in Australia with South Africa and New Zealand. Fleming manipulated a go-slow by his batsmen against South Africa, excluding Australia from the final series -- which was a rare occasion. Fleming claimed he did nothing that was not within the rules of the competition. Such tactics showed Fleming had developed a ruthless streak, also evident in specific field placements for certain batsmen -- such as having two fielders almost holding hands at point as a ploy to unsettle and dismiss Australian batsman Damien Martyn.

Fleming's toughness came through in the players' strike for better pay and conditions in 2002 against New Zealand Cricket. It is understood he was staunchly in the players' camp, which rankled with NZC given his lengthy leadership tenure and captain's allowance. Being completely comfortable with the captaincy and having the trust of his team helped Fleming begin to achieve more as a batsman. The test conversion rate of 50s to 100s, which at one stage stood at 31 half centuries and two tons.

Fleming arguably played his most impressive test innings when scoring an unbeaten 274 in the strength-sapping heat and humidity of Colombo in 2003, with Sri Lankan spin-ball wizard Muttiah Muralitharan probing him hour after hour. That came just after a spectacular unbeaten 134 against South Africa, probably his finest one-day innings, eliminating the home side at the 2003 World Cup in the republic. Only Geoff Howarth and Jeremy Coney came close to matching Fleming's captaincy skills and they had the luxury of world-class players Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe in their ranks during the 1980s.

Fleming was acquired by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for US$350,000 for the inaugural season of Indian Premier League. He played just one season and scored 196 runs in ten matches with CSK finishing as runners-up. Fleming was appointed as the head coach of Chennai Super Kings in 2009 when he retired as a player. Under his coaching, CSK won the 2010 season and qualified for Champions League Twenty20. Chennai won the 2010 Champions league. Fleming coached CSK to its second consecutive IPL title in 2011 and its second Champions League Twenty20 title in 2014.

Following the two-year suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two new franchises Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions were established for the 2016 Indian Premier League season. Supergiants appointed Fleming as the head coach. Fleming returned to Chennai Super Kings for the 2018 season. Fleming coached CSK to its third IPL title in 2018. Fleming led CSK to the title again in 2021 and 2023 IPL. CSK became the most successful IPL franchise with five title wins and ten final appearances during his stint as head coach.

Fleming has been involved in setting up CricHQ with the company's CEO Simon Baker and former New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum. Fleming is one of the investors and a director in the company. In June 2015, the company raised US$10m from Singapore private equity firm Tembusu Partners.