Stephen Fleming : balance of power / Richard Boock.

Stephen Fleming has come a long way since he was embroiled in the marijuana scandal which rocked New Zealand cricket back in the mid-90s. Maturity as both a player and as skipper has brought rich rewards for New Zealand's longest-serving, and most successful, test match captain. A stint with Middlesex in 2001 laid the foundations for a successful re-evaluation of his batting methods where the inability to convert half-centuries to centuries did no justice to his quality. But after a breakout innings of 134 not out to steer New Zealand to a classy World Cup victory over South Africa, Fleming confirmed his greater batting consistency with a career-highest 274 not out against Sri Lanka in the first test of their 2003 series. He has now scored 4671 runs in 75 tests and taken 114 catches. In his autobiography Fleming will talk about the highs and lows of his time in the New Zealand team; about how he was given the captaincy at an early age and how he has learned to cope with the associated pressures. The Stephen Fleming story has been as eagerly awaited as any modern New Zealand sports biography.