Stephen Fleming

Georgetown: The 2007 World Cup may be decided by the decisions of one man — the captain. And as far as leadership goes, New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming takes some beating.

Australia’s Ricky Ponting, South Africa’s Graeme Smith and the West Indies’ Brian Lara are top motivators, and also lead by example.

But Fleming, known simply as ‘Flem’ to his teammates, appears to cover all the bases.

In his fourth World Cup — third as captain — Fleming is leading a meticulously prepared squad of players after an 18-month long programme to take the trophy home for the first time.

The 34-year-old regularly tops polls as the most popular person in New Zealand, not least because he has one of the finest cricketing brains in the world.

Coach John Bracewell summed it up last week when he described Fleming as having ‘mana,’ a word used by New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people to mean ‘respect’, but also has more emotional connotations of friendship. Many in the squad have Maori blood.

Of the major cricket teams, New Zealand probably has the smallest stock of players to call on. But Fleming has ‘exploited’ that disadvantage to develop a squad of multi-talented allrounders who bat down to number nine, as James Franklin showed on Monday when he joined in a partnership of 71 to take the match beyond Ireland.

A quietly-spoken captain, Fleming leads without shouting or dramatic gestures, but is precise in his demands on players. Against Ireland, he spent a minute or so directing a fielder to the exact place on the boundary he wanted him to stand.

“The strong leaders are the ones more prepared and more resourceful,” Fleming said in his biography written two years ago. Fleming has formed a “management team” consisting mainly, but not only, of senior players like Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond. Both are regularly consulted on the field.

Fleming and Bracewell run a deliberately loose ship on tour. Players are encouraged to do their own thing in off time, but when it comes to match days, he is as tough as nails. Players know their roles down to the finest detail.

A friendly man most of the time, Fleming also likes to do the unexpected, as South African Smith found out in the middle of an ODI. Fleming suddenly unleashed a torrent of abuse at his opposite number in a bid to unsettle him.

Fleming is easily New Zealand’s most successful captain, having made his debut 13 years ago.

This time, Fleming feels the team’s preparation is so good that a semi-final spot will simply be the launch pad for a place in the final in Bridgetown later this month and a place in history. (AP)