New Zealander Fleming Says England Coach Should Be English
Listen to the story
Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricket captain, is England's new Test cricket coach.
Test cricket is the longest and most traditional form of the sport.
Fleming has suggested that England's coach should actually be an English person.
This is an unusual comment because Fleming himself is not from England.
He is a foreign coach leading England's national cricket team.
Many top sports teams around the world hire coaches from other countries.
This practice is often seen as normal in modern international sport.
However, Fleming's comment suggests he feels differently about his own role.
His words have surprised some people who follow cricket news.
It is not clear exactly why Fleming made this suggestion.
He may believe a local coach understands English players better.
English cricket fans have strong opinions about who should lead their team.
Fleming was recently appointed to this important coaching job.
Being appointed means being officially chosen for a position.
His comment has started conversations among cricket fans and journalists.
People are now discussing what makes a good national team coach.
Some fans might agree that local knowledge helps a coach succeed.
Others may think a coach's nationality does not really matter.
This story shows how coaching decisions can create public debate.
It will be interesting to see how Fleming's time as coach continues.
Vocabulary10 words
- Test
- the longest and most traditional type of cricket match
- foreign
- coming from another country
- suggestion
- an idea that someone shares with others
- appointed
- chosen officially for a job
- national team
- a team that represents one country
- captain
- the leader of a sports team
- coaching
- the job of training and guiding a team
- debate
- a discussion where people share different opinions
- practice
- a common way of doing something
- role
- a person's job or position
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Quiz
Answer key
1. New Zealand captain 2. The coach should be English 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricket _____, is England's new Test cricket coach.
Fleming has suggested that England's coach should actually be an _____ person.
This is an unusual comment because Fleming himself is not from _____.
He is a _____ coach leading England's national cricket team.
Many top sports teams around the world hire coaches from other _____.
However, Fleming's comment suggests he feels differently about his own _____.
It is not clear exactly why Fleming made this _____.
Fleming was recently _____ to this important coaching job.
His comment has started conversations among cricket fans and _____.
This story shows how coaching decisions can create public _____.
Discussion questions
- Do you think a national team's coach should come from that same country? Why or why not?
- Why might Fleming feel this way about his own coaching role?
- Can you think of other examples of foreign coaches in sport?
- What qualities do you think make a good sports coach?
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