Stephen Fleming sets England clear goal they haven’t achieved in over a decade during first press conference

England’s new Test coach Stephen Fleming has set a clear goal during his first press conference, and it is something they have not done in over a decade.

Fans of the national cricket team may get excited after this first appearance in front of the media, after Fleming was appointed to the role in July.

The former New Zealand international has taken over from his compatriot Brendon McCullum.

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Stephen Fleming sets clear England goal in his first press conference

Fleming takes over from McCullum, who did not have the best final few months as England manager, as reported by the BBC. As his reign came to an end, it was dogged by late-night drinking controversies.

The new manager takes over with England ranked fifth in the world when it comes to international Test teams, and so it is obvious he would like to return the country to the top.

However, this was not the first aim, he explained to the media in his press conference, as he wants to get one over on their historic rivals.

England have not won the Ashes since 2015, with Australia claiming the famous trophy in the last five iterations of the clash.

Across these five Ashes series since 2015, Australia have won three and drawn two, which means they retained the trophy.

Now, Fleming has made it clear that he wants to bring the Ashes back to England, and it would be his first-ever Test victory over Australia because, as a player, he has never experienced a win over the Aussies in his 14 Tests against them.

The BBC asked if Fleming was obsessed with Australia, garnering this response: “No, because I have an obsession with it as well. New Zealand has an obsession with it; we love it.

"We want to beat the Aussies. We're heavily linked to England's performances. We have a deep desire to beat Australia in everything, as the little cousin. We are linked, and I'm incredibly excited about being part of it.

"You don't think you're ever going to get that opportunity. To have that opportunity and be part of it, I can't wait.

"I want to be my best self and have a team that represents itself in the best possible way. I've got a vision of that, and it's aspirational. It will be brilliant."

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England’s modern history against Australia in the Ashes

Since 2000, Australia and England have squared off in the Ashes on 14 occasions, with the Australians victorious on seven occasions, but also retained the trophy on a further two.

Meanwhile, England have been victorious in five Test series during this 26-year period.

In fact, the Australians have dominated the Ashes since 1989 as they won 13 of the 20 Test Series, and, as previously mentioned, claimed it on a further two occasions.

The 2005 Ashes Series was a famous victory for the English team, and it revitalised cricket in the public consciousness, helping to make Freddie Flintoff a household name.

The English would claim three successive Ashes Series between 2009 and 2013, but since then they have only been victorious on one occasion.

So, this ambition of beating the Australians for the first time in this famous competition in over a decade may be the signal fans need to believe that England could return to the top of Test cricket.