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KEY POINTS:
Stephen Fleming has admitted captaincy rather than batting gave him his biggest buzz in cricket.
And there is a symmetry to that.
For all his batting class, the elegance and skills he displayed at the crease and the records, he will likely best be remembered for his ability to steer New Zealand to some outstanding successes through astute leadership. New Zealand's longest-serving skipper yesterday confirmed he will retire after the three-test series against England, ending in Napier on March 26.
34-year-old Fleming hit nine test hundreds and scored more runs than any other New Zealander, 6875 at 39.73, which he hopes to bump up above 40 in his final round of tests.
He led New Zealand in 80 tests and 218 ODIs, and yesterday talked of his pride in that aspect of his cricket. "I probably got more joy out of captaincy than my batting," he said.
Fleming relished the challenge of "being down and out and coming back, testing yourself all the time."
Fleming admitted it was "pretty consuming" and said he would like to be remembered as "a thinker".
"I really enjoyed thinking about the game, putting plans in place."
Fleming talked of being able to "push pressure points that perhaps teams hadn't had pushed before". He also wanted to be regarded as a captain "who got the best out of a team challenged by resources but which still managed to punch above its weight."
