The Hundred: Southern Brave coach Stephen Fleming on Tymal Mills, Rehan Ahmed and James Vince

Stephen Fleming is a five-time IPL-winning coach, leading Chennai Super Kings to that title in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023 - but even he admits that The Hundred came as a culture shock.

"I found myself hunting for whether we were in front or behind. It was an interesting and frantic experience with a lot going on in the changing room," the former New Zealand captain told Sky Sports as he reflected on his first match in charge of Southern Brave earlier this month.

"My first feeling was that there was a little bit of chaos seeping in so we have worked hard on that and trying to find some better ways to judge how you are doing in the game, so I have enjoyed that. Adding a few layers has helped us become a bit calmer than perhaps we were before.

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"The game is still being learnt by the players. Having 20 fewer balls in an innings than a T20 has created some confusion around some of the tactics, particularly how hard to go with the bat. If in doubt you go hard, so we have seen some average batting at times in terms of constructing a score.

"It has been really interesting watching teams go about their work and how players have adjusted from what has become the more routine T20 scenario of the powerplay followed by a bit of consolidation and then the death overs. I still see the players finding their way."

'Vince calm as a captain, just like Dhoni'

Brave had certainly found their way, winning three of their final four group games to reach Saturday's eliminator at The Kia Oval. Win that fixture, too, against Manchester Originals, and they will face Oval Invincibles in Sunday's final at Lord's.

Captain James Vince is aiming to lead The Ageas Bowl side to a second Hundred title in three years - they beat Birmingham Phoenix in the 2021 showpiece - and head coach Fleming sees some similarities between the Brave man and long-time Chennai skipper MS Dhoni.

"One of the appeals of the job was that Vincey is one of the best captains on the circuit. He is very calm and that flows through into the group," said Fleming, who took over the head coach role at Brave from Mahela Jayawardene.

"He probably has about five million fewer followers on social media than MS but they are similarly calm in decision making and do not overcomplicate the game, especially under pressure. The team responds to that.

"We don't do a lot of talking. One of the things I have picked up over the years is that you can overtalk things - it's more about actions. The messaging is pretty clear. When we go on the field, the team is 100 per cent Vincey's and if I can help in anyway before then I will fill the gaps and pick up the slack."

Vince (125), Devon Conway (164) and Finn Allen (171) have been Brave's chief run-scorers this season but the star with the ball has been left-arm quick Tymal Mills.

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The paceman has mixed scorching deliveries with canny slower balls to bag a tournament-leading 15 wickets, including a hat-trick against Welsh Fire.

Fleming said of Mills, whose congenital back condition limits him to T20 and Hundred cricket: "It is great to see him fit. He has been challenged a little bit with continuity over the years with his body letting him down but he has been fit for a while now honing his skills, and he is still getting better.

"The subtlety of his variations are outstanding and when he is bowling at full pelt those variations are even more effective. He has won us games and kept us in games. His death-bowling partnership with Chris Jordan is a strength of our side, no doubt about it.

"T [Mills] is smart in training having gone through a number of injuries, getting the balance of staying in form bowling-wise and also dealing with his body and the travel. He will not bowl a day before the eliminator as he knows he is in good form. That is the voice of experience."

'Ahmed seems like he has played 50 Tests'

Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, 19, has also been instrumental for Brave, taking nine wickets but also bowling economically with the 130 balls he has sent down taken for 143 runs.

Fleming added: "Talking to Rehan, you'd think he'd played about 50 Tests. He is very confident and I really like his attitude to the game. He is up for any challenge.

"You almost have to have a bit of that as a spinner as you are going to have days where it might not go your way. He is very resilient and talented and what I have liked this year is that he has kept things simple.

"He has bowled on some good wickets and some wickets tough for a spinner but done the same job - been very effective shutting the scoring rate down and not always hunted wickets which might have been a challenge in the past. It has been selfless.

"He obviously likes to play the game in lights and wants to be involved as much as possible. To do the role the team requires can get in the way of the ego but that hasn't been the case for Rehan. He is eager to learn and put in performances.

"He is very involved in setting his own fields and he has to be. What we try and promote is ownership of your game and for a spinner controlling the field by moving someone a metre here or a metre there can make all the difference so we encourage that."

Brave beat Originals by six wickets at a damp Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday evening to set up a repeat fixture in the eliminator on what should be a belting batting deck at The Kia Oval.

Originals skipper Jos Buttler was unable to ignite against Brave earlier in the week, scoring 45 from 42 balls, but Fleming knows the leading run-scorer in the men's tournament could take the game away from his side in their next meeting.

"We understand the conditions here are different. It looks a very good batting surface but hopefully we can shut Originals down early and make some inroads into the middle order.

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"I would say we have some plans - I would loosely call them plans, they are ideas - for Jos but to execute them well enough to get him out is the great challenge. Sometimes you can be at your very best and players like Jos can still win the day. We just have to make sure he has to be at his best.

"There are subtleties of where you want to bowl to him at certain times but you have to realise you have to hang tough and create some pressure by denying him runs."

Brave's women's side are into Sunday's final after topping the table - they will face Northern Superchargers or Welsh Fire - and Fleming is now eyeing a team double at Lord's.

"The women's team are our marquee team really and are quite brilliant to watch. We are really proud of what they have achieved and if we could make it a double on Sunday that would be brilliant for the club, but there is a long way to go before that."

Watch The Hundred eliminators live on Sky Sports on Saturday. Welsh Fire play Northern Superchargers in the women's game from 2.30pm ahead of the men's match between Southern Brave and Manchester Originals at 6pm.