Stokes story is a lesson to us all
Silverwood on perils of fame
Chris Silverwood began his tenure as England’s head coach warning that this week’s publicity around Ben Stokes and his wife was “a lesson for everybody”.
Silverwood confirmed he had spoken to Stokes and was happy with his explanation that photographs appearing to show him grabbing his wife Clare’s face were innocent and taken out of context.
However, he agreed it was an example of the scrutiny Stokes is under after paparazzi snapped pictures of him and his wife at last week’s Professional Cricketers’ Association annual dinner.
“As far as I’m concerned, all the questions have been asked and it’s done,” Silverwood said. “I wasn’t there. I’m happy with what I’ve been told. It’s a lesson for everybody. You know, they [players] are high profile. You’ve got to be careful because innocent things can be taken out of context.”
Stokes’s heroics this summer have elevated him to a level of public profile not experienced by a cricketer since Ian Botham in the 1980s, and his private life will make front-page news.
It emerged yesterday that Stokes and his mother, Deborah, were suing The Sun newspaper after it published a story last month detailing a tragedy involving the cricketer’s family. Stokes is a model professional but Silverwood and the England and Wales Cricket Board will have to deal with the circus that follows him and ensure it does not distract the other players.
The new coach confirmed the midnight curfew would stay in place and that he wanted his team to win the respect of the public. “You want to be successful, but it’s [about] how you are successful as well, so it’s winning in the right spirit of the game, winning with a bit of class, and respecting your opposition,” he
‘Players have to be careful as innocent things can be taken out of context’
said. “It [the curfew] will be staying. I’ve not heard anybody complain about it, which has been fantastic. It puts a little onus on how professional things have got to be. It’s not like the old days. The level of professionalism that is expected of them is higher, as it should be.”
Ashley Giles, his superior as England director, said Silverwood was chosen partly because of his involvement in developing a culture within the England set-up, along with captains Joe Root and Eoin Morgan. He insisted he was not picked on the basis of a good “Powerpoint presentation”.
Silverwood shares similarities with his predecessor, Trevor Bayliss. He is quietly spoken, does not crave the limelight and appears to be without ego. Those who played under him at Essex talk about a coach who takes the pressure off his players, a crucial part of the job at international level, and treats winning and losing with equal measure.
Where he differs from Bayliss is his knowledge of the county game, and as far as Giles is concerned, Silverwood will be crucial in bringing the domestic game and the international sides closer together.
Giles said: “At times we’ve worked as a bit of an island and an overseas coach doesn’t always help that because they don’t have the same knowledge or experience of our system.”
Silverwood revealed he was sitting in his living room when Giles called to offer him the job. “My wife Victoria was in the kitchen. And literally, she just heard me go, ‘Wow.’ Then I went quiet for a little bit. But then she just saw me giving it this [clenched fists]. And she’s obviously jumping around.”
Bayliss created a culture that encouraged players to be bold and not to fear failure. It led to a World Cup win but inconsistency in Test cricket. Silverwood intends to encourage the “no fear” culture, but insists England will adopt old-fashioned values in Test cricket and has already spoken to Root about how they will play.
“I want to make sure that Joe and I are aligned with how we’re going to take the Test team forward. One thing we’ll look at is building a batting group that can bat long periods of time, stack runs up and put pressure on. And then we want to create a bowling attack that is relentless. We saw examples this summer. The Aussies made our lives really difficult.”