London: England's newly appointed Test cricket head coach Stephen Fleming has outlined his ambition to lead the side back to the world number one ranking for the first time in over a decade.

The former New Zealand captain was named to the role in July but has officially taken charge following the team's 3-0 series victory over Pakistan, which he missed due to family commitments.

Fleming promptly declared his primary objective: elevating England from fifth position in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings to the top spot, a position the national side has not held since 2012, while improving their performance in the World Test Championship (WTC).

"I would love to be in charge of the number one test team in the world. That would be my aspiration," he said. "There have been some really good moments (for this side), but I think there's more to give.

"One of the dark arts of coaching is timing, and my honest appraisal is that it's a great time to be the head coach. It's one of the most prestigious jobs in cricket. I was very honoured to be asked. The opportunity to take up this role was one you don't turn down."

England have failed to reach the WTC final across the four editions since the tournament's inception and currently sit sixth in the standings, but Fleming expressed a desire to place greater emphasis on the competition.

"England could do much better than that," Fleming said. "If that's one of the pinnacle trophies in world cricket, why would we not be trying to get it along with every other marquee event that comes our way?

"It's aspirational, and that's why I'm here. That opportunity is real, but there's a huge amount of work to do."

Stokes return unlikely

That task will not involve persuading former captain Ben Stokes to reconsider his unexpected decision to retire from international cricket ahead of next year's Ashes series.

Stokes has maintained his domestic commitments with Durham and signed to play for the Adelaide Strikers in Australia's Big Bash League, fueling persistent rumours regarding a potential comeback for the upcoming summer campaign against Australia.

"I went up to Durham and spoke to Ben, which was good. He's really happy and seemed to be really at peace with his decision," Fleming said.

"My view is when a player decides to retire, it's a big decision, and I have the utmost respect for that decision, so that's where it sits."

Reconnecting with county game

During his initial week in England, Fleming conferred with Test captain Joe Root and Director of Cricket Rob Key, while also travelling across the country to attend five County Championship fixtures over three days.

On Saturday, he visited Emirates Old Trafford to meet with his predecessor Brendon McCullum, who retains leadership over the white-ball limited-overs squads.

Fleming, who won a County Championship title with Nottinghamshire in 2005 and represented Middlesex and Yorkshire as a player, began re-establishing links with domestic cricket, which had experienced periods of disconnect under the previous management.

"It's been a tour of love," he said. "I have been kissing county coaches' heads, meeting new players, reintroducing myself to players I played with who are now in positions of authority at counties.

"I have a deep respect for the county game and what it can offer. It is a key part of English cricket, so to reconnect, do some miles on the M1 and immerse myself in that over the last three days has been really good."

AP