English crowds may have seen the last of Stephen Fleming after the former New Zealand captain confirmed yesterday that he will not tour during the summer. He is to retire from Test cricket after the three-match series against England next month to prioritise family life, a business career and the rich pickings of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

His immediate priority is to lift his Test batting average above 40 during his three remaining opportunities. It stands at 39.73, but if that represents an underachievement for such a graceful player, his ten years as captain from 1997 make him one of the most important figures in New Zealand’s cricket history.

On the eve of the third one-day international in Auckland today, Kevin Pietersen described Fleming as the best captain in the world and Fleming said that he would like to be remembered as a thinker about the game. He also said that he preferred captaincy – especially in tight situations – to batting.

Fleming had intended to emulate Chris Cairns, another former Nottinghamshire player, by making his farewell appearance at Trent Bridge, but that ambition was superseded when his wife, Kelly, became pregnant with their second child. The baby is due in June and Fleming did not want to cause disruption by leaving the tour. His decision allows him to play in the IPL in April and May. A return to county cricket, though, has been ruled out “for some time”.

Fleming led New Zealand in 80 of his 108 Tests; only Allan Border, of Australia, has captained a country more often. Under Fleming’s leadership, New Zealand won 28 matches and lost 27. One of the highlights was a 2-1 victory in England in 1999. “It was always a challenge,” he said. “We needed to think about the game a lot more, to be very thorough in our preparation. Even against Australia we managed to push pressure points that perhaps had not been pushed before.”

Fleming was unhappy at his removal as Test captain last year having stepped down from the one-day team. “My disappointment came from not knowing whether split-captaincy would have worked,” he said. Since then his relationship with the selectors has been strained and he has not always seen eye-to-eye with John Bracewell, the coach.

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