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Birrell Named Southern Brave Men's Head Coach Following Fleming's Departure
Birrell Named Southern Brave Men's Head Coach Following Fleming's Departure
Stephen Fleming has stepped down as Head Coach of Southern Brave men’s team with Adrian Birrell taking over
Stephen Fleming has decided to part ways from Southern Brave ahead of the 2025 season of The Hundred, opting to spend more time at home with his family.
Fleming has been Head Coach of the Southern Brave men’s team for two seasons, having been appointed in December 2023.
He guided the team to The Hundred final last season, losing out to Oval Invincibles at Lord’s.
I absolutely loved my time at Southern Brave, working in The Hundred and working with a great group of people at Utilita Bowl. We got close to winning a couple of times so it’s difficult to step down but for family reasons I need to be able to dedicate more time to being at home this season. I wish everyone at Southern Brave the best for 2025.
Stephen Fleming
Hampshire Cricket men’s First Team Manager and Sunrisers Eastern Cape Head Coach, Adi Birrell, will take over the role whilst remaining as First Team Manager for the County Championship and Vitality Blast.
In 2022, Birrell guided the Hampshire Hawks to the Vitality Blast title, as Hampshire became only the second county to lift the trophy three times.
His tenure as First Team Manager at Hampshire has also seen the Hawks become the most successful side in English T20 history with a record number of appearances at Finals Day.
Stephen created an excellent environment for the players and it has been an enjoyable and successful stint with us. The team reached The Hundred Eliminator and The Hundred Final during the two summers and we would like to thank him for his hard work and commitment. In his place we are delighted to welcome Adi Birrell and look forward to seeing him build on the team’s success in 2025.
Giles White, Southern Brave Director of Cricket
Since his first summer with the Club in 2019, Birrell has seen Hampshire to two third-place finishes and a runner’s-up spot in the County Championship as the Club recorded their best finish in the competition since 2005.
The Rose and Crown were also one ball away from winning their first County Championship title since 1973 when they played Lancashire in the final round of the 2021 competition.
In franchise cricket, Birrell has coached Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 since its inception in 2023, and led the team to back-to-back trophies in the first two editions.
He was also Head Coach of the Ireland men’s team for the 2007 Cricket World Cup where they reached the Super Eight stage as they recorded famous wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan.
