Head coach Chris stands by England’s selection policy
Head coach Chris Silverwood insists he has had no second thoughts about England’s winter rotation policy, despite the challenges it is likely to pose on the forthcoming tour of India.
England completed a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka without Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer after deciding to give both men time off at the start of a packed year and have already excused Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow and Sam Curran from the first two Tests in Chennai.
Jos Buttler will also head home after the series opener despite being a star performer with bat and gloves over the past couple of games, leaving the tricky task of chopping and changing the playing XI while also striving for a semblance of consistency.
But in an era when tours beginwithenforcedperiodsof testingandisolation–England will be bound to their rooms forsixdaysandneedtoreturn threenegativePCRresultsbefore being let out – and life on the road is more restrictive thanever,Silverwoodbelieves there is no alternative.
“I’m perfectly happy with the system we’re using at the moment.Istandbyit,”hesaid.
“We’vegottolookafterour people. We’re spending a lot of time locked in hotel rooms insidebio-securebubblesand it’snoteasy.It’sgoodthatwe’re beingproactiveandlookingafter people.”
The matter is muddied somewhat by the fact that almost all of the players who have been given or promised time out from the demanding Test schedule are also in possessionoflucrativeIndianPremier League contracts.
One school of thought holds that players should prioritise playing in the international arena and stand down from their T20 deals if concerned about burnout, but England have long since resolved that the likes of Stokes, Buttler, Archer and Bairstow have benefited from IPL exposure.
Asked how he might explain the issue to fans, who might have expected to see Bairstow continue his progress as a number three batsman against India or hope for Buttlertocontinuehisrenaissance as a red-ball cricketer throughout the India series, Silverwood was firm.
“I’d just ask them to understand why we do what we do,” he said. “We’re resting in thebestinterestsoftheplayer and equally to get the best out of them long term. We’ve decided to rest and rotate, we’ve decided we need to look after the players and I do believe we have to be proactive.”