"To be honest, I would"- Chris Silverwood on whether he'll play the same teams for the Gabba and Adelaide Test again
Chris Silverwood has defended his team selections in the first two Tests of the Ashes. England's head coach cum chief selector said he won't change a thing if given an opportunity to pick the starting XI for these tests again.
Silverwood's team selections for the first two Tests have come under severe scrutiny following England's mauling by 9 wickets and 275 runs respectively.
England decided to leave out the veteran duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad on a green pitch in Brisbane. Instead, they played left-arm orthodox spinner Jack Leach.
Following Leach's mauling by the Aussie batters at the Gabba, the tourists decided to field an all-seam attack at Adelaide Oval. The likes of Joe Root, Dawid Malan and even Ollie Robinson filled in as spin options.
Speaking to the BBC about the team-selection for the Gabba and Adelaide Tests, Silverwood said:
"To be honest, I would. There is always going to be divided opinion. You pick a team and not everybody’s going to agree with you (but) I was happy with the skillset we had in the pink-ball Test, so I would pick the same team again."
He added:
"We picked the best attack for those conditions and you look at the attack we had out, there’s a lot of experience. I was happy with that attack this game and I was happy with that attack last game as well."
Silverwood has stood by England's team selections for the first two Tests of the Ashes.
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Following back-to-back drubbings, England must now win at the MCG to harbor any chance of retaining the urn.
Chris Silverwood still believes he is the 'right man' to coach England
The past 12 months have been abysmal for the English Test team. Following the series win in Sri Lanka in January this year, England have lost 9 of their 11 Tests, including three at home to New Zealand and India.
Silverwood's position is under heavy scrutiny but the former cricketer still believes he is the right man for the job.
"Am I the right man to help the players get better? Yes, I believe I am. We have had those honest chats and I believe I have the right coaching staff around me to make that happen as well,” Silverwood said.
He added:
“When you take a job like this you accept that (your job is on the line). It is what it is. Do I believe I’m the right man? Yes I do, or I wouldn’t have taken the job in the first place. You’re under pressure constantly, aren’t you?"
“We knew it was going to be difficult when we came out here. Obviously we wanted to win but that is always going to be difficult. We have to be realistic about what we have, but we have to learn.” he said.
I’m the right man to coach England, says Chris Silverwood after his team’s latest defeat dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/…
The third Test of the 2021/22 Ashes will take place at the MCG on Boxing Day and Australia only need to ensure a draw to regain the coveted urn.