Chris Silverwood announced as the new head coach of the England men's team
Chris Silverwood has been announced as the new head coach of the England men’s team. Silverwood was promoted from the position of England’s bowling coach and will be taking charge with immediate effect. Former coach Trevor Bayliss left the post on a high after helping England win its first Cricket World Cup.
Head of Coach Development John Neal, Managing Director of England’s Men’s Cricket Ashley Giles, and Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison were unanimously impressed by Silverwood’s vision for English cricket and his knowledge of the current set-up.
Ashley Giles was thrilled to announce Silverwood’s appointment and said:
"We are delighted to confirm Chris as England Men’s Head Coach…. 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 some detailed thoughts on what it will take to win the Ashes in Australia and win major ICC white-ball tournaments.”
Silverwood was equally excited about the announcement, but clearly knows the kind of expectation and scrutiny he will have to go through.
“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 work starts now, and I am confident we can make a positive impact during our winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa.”
Silverwood's first competitive international assignment will come on England’s tour of New Zealand. England are scheduled to play a five-match T20I series beginning in Christchurch, which will be followed by a two-Test series starting November 21 at the Bay Oval.
Silverwood played seven ODIs and six Tests for the England national team. He made his Test and ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 1996. As a player, he was considered to be better than Allan Donald by England bowling coach Bob Cottam but with lower consistency.
He spent several seasons as the bowling coach of English county side Essex and later led them to the Division two County championship as their head coach. Impressed by his rise, he was appointed as England’s new bowling coach in 2017.
Also see – World Test Championship points table