‘Spoons’ deserves his chance to prove that Englishmen can coach
WHEN Chris Silverwood was announced as the new England coach yesterday, I was both pleased for him as a bloke and pleased with the appointment.
I played a bit with — and a lot against — ‘Spoons’, then came up against the Essex team where he was assistant and then head coach towards the end of my career.
As a bowler, he was one of the quickest in the county game and he kept coming at you. I think the same is reflected in his coaching. He is quiet, but not shy, he never needs to rant and rave, but you do not mistake that he is tough.
That’s what you need in Test cricket: tough, level characters who are prepared to tell home truths, but not just through shouting. It’s not like the old fo o t b a l l ma n a g e r s o f ye s t e r ye a r, launching into the players at half-time.
I’m personally particularly pleased that an English coach that has come through our system has a shot at the top job. Apart from Peter Moores twice, no Englishman has had a chance this century.
In some ways, our coaching system has a lot to answer for and I think we devalue our coaches. It’s almost like, if you have an Aussie accent we will give you the keys to the city.
Why is Chris Silverwood not going to be better than Andrew McDonald, or even Trevor Bayliss? I’m pleased he has the chance to prove himself. There are lots of new coaches in the system, from Matt Walker to Dominic Cork. We have to realise that these guys could be very good international coaches. The likes of Bayliss got an opportunity at Sri Lanka, the IPL. Our coaches don’t get that, so don’t end up being big names.
And Silverwood has certainly earned a shot. Essex were a county that had a lot of very good players, homegrown talent, but were stuck in Division Two