Silverwood steps up as England head coach

ENGLAND have appointed Chris Silverwood as their new head coach. The 44-year-old has been promoted following a two-year spell as fast bowling coach under Trevor Bayliss, who ended his tenure at the helm of England last month following the expiry of his contract. While former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten and Surrey’s director of cricket Alec Stewart emerged as leading contenders to succeed the Australian, Silverwood was described as the “standout candidate”. A three-man England and Wales Cricket Board selection panel comprising of chief executive Tom Harrison, managing director Ashley Giles and head of coach development John Neal were impressed by Silverwood’s interview for the position as well as his knowledge of the current set-up and systems. Silverwood (below), a former Middlesex and Yorkshire paceman whose international career comprised of six Tests and seven oneday internationals, will be in the hot seat for the upcoming tour of New Zealand before further trips to South Africa and Sri Lanka this winter. He said: “I am thrilled and honoured to be appointed England head coach. “I aim to continue the great work that has been done over the past five years and build on our future, especially in the Test arena. “I have enjoyed working with the players over the past two seasons and developing the best crop of talent in the English game. I am excited to get started and build teams that the whole game can be proud of. “There is a tremendous amount of talent coming through and there is enormous potential for growth. “The hard work starts now and I am confident we can make a positive impact during our winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa.” Before joining England’s backroom staff in late 2017, Silverwood presided over County Championship triumphs in both divisions with Essex. He takes over a side that went all the way in the World Cup this summer but one that failed to win an Ashes series on home soil for the first time since 2001. Following a four-year cycle under Bayliss in which there was a greater emphasis on the limited-overs formats, Giles has already indicated the balance will be tipped back towards Test cricket. Giles said: “We are delighted to confirm Chris as England men’s head coach. We have gone through a thorough process and looked at all the options that were available to us. Chris was the standout candidate. “I believe he is what we need to take our international teams forward. “He is somebody we know well, but it is his intimate understanding of our structures and systems and his close relationships with Test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan that will help us develop our plans for the next few years. “He has performed exceptionally well during his role as an assistant coach and has the ultimate respect of the players that have worked with him.”