Silverwood insists England won’t turn away from rotating

CHRIS SILVERWOOD has no regrets about rotating England’s Test team this winter, insisting the policy ‘ has worked’ despite the heavy series defeat in India.

England were beaten in three days in the fourth and final Test, a result that ensured a 3-1 series win for the hosts coming just a week after Joe Root’s men lost in two days in Ahmedabad.

Three heavy reverses followed victory in the opening Test in Chennai against a backdrop of squad rotation.

The packed schedule and the unique demands of playing through a pandemic saw England without the likes of Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow for key periods.

But coach Silverwood (pictured) refused to condemn a policy aimed at protecting the physical and mental well-being of his troops, suggesting it may be a feature of the summer and even next winter’s Ashes series.

‘I think it has worked,’ he said. ‘When they are out on the park, you want them to concentrate

on the cricket and you want them to be happy. Sometimes that means seeing your family; families want to see the dads and husbands.

‘I don’t think it’s acceptable to push somebody

until they break and then try and pick them up. There is a whole load of cricket coming up this summer, then we very quickly disappear abroad once our summer is finished.

‘We have to be proactive in looking after them, so it (the Ashes) is certainly something that we may have to look at, yes.’ Commitments in the Indian Premier League, which finishes on May 30, could also deprive England of the likes of Buttler, Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord’s on June 2.

If Silverwood does harbour any frustrations, he is keeping them to himself. He said: ‘We’ll be looking at that Test series, working our way back and seeing what preparation time we need. We haven’t done that at this time but it’s something we will be doing.’