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 Following a four-year cycle in which the limited-overs formats were prioritised because of a World Cup on home soil, England’s failure to regain the Ashes has led to a promise of a policy shift back towards Test cricket. Australia leaving these shores with the urn in tow for the first time since 2001 highlighted some glaring issues facing the side and winning them back in 2021-22 is high on the agenda.
Silverwood’s first assignment takes him to New Zealand for five Twenty20 internationals and two Tests, where there are a host of new faces in both squads. With the T20 World Cup a year away, it seems an ideal opportunity to test the likes of Pat Brown and Tom Banton, both of whom have impressed in the Vitality Blast this year.
Since Silverwood joined Bayliss’ backroom team, England have been bowled out for fewer than 100 four
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 l i m i t e d - over s formats, Giles has already indicated the times while under the Australian’s four-year tenure, they lost all 10 wickets in a session on four occasions, having never done so between 1938 and 2016. A settled top three – in which ballast is preferred ahead of all-out aggression – would likely expedite proceedings.
Eoin Morgan’s unprecedented success as limited-overs captain means there should be no need for a dramatic upheaval while he remains at the helm. However, with T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021, Silverwood cannot be entirely focused on England’s red-ball fortunes.
After New Zealand, England head straight to South Africa for four Tests, three one-day internationals and three T20s, followed by a two-Test stop-off in Sri Lanka. It is an arduous winter schedule after an unrelenting summer – in which the likes of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Root and many others barely had time to bask in their World Cup triumph before the Ashes – and leaves a number of core players at risk of burnout.
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.”