"Can be aggressive in controlled way" - England coach Silverwood on lessons from Lord's blunder that led to Headingley redemption
England coach Chris Silverwood admitted that he and captain Joe Root reflected hard on what transpired at Lord’s and implemented the desired changes at Headingley.
According to Silverwood, the major takeaway from the Lord’s Test for the England camp was that one can be aggressive in a controlled manner.
England dominated the majority of the second Test at Lord’s. However, they lost the plot on Day 5, seeking to bounce out India’s tailenders, a tactic which backfired on the hosts.
England, however, fought back to clinch the third Test at Headingley by an innings and 76 runs.
Asked what changed for England from the lows of Lord’s to the highs of Headingley, the head coach revealed that captain Joe Root and the team had learned their lessons.
He was quoted as saying in an ESPNCricinfo report:
"He (Root) reflected on the Lord's Test and some of the decisions he made. He does learn as he goes along and that's a great characteristic for a captain to have: to reflect back honestly and make a difference. And he's certainly made a difference this game.
"Joe and I reflected on the Lord's Test and thought about what we could learn and how we could get better. And I think there was a controlled aggression around what they did [at Headingley]: the way they hit the lengths hard, the way they put the India tail under pressure and forced them to make decisions all the time.
"I think you can be aggressive in a very controlled way and I think they got that right."
Following the triumph at Headingley, Root became England’s most successful Test captain. He now has 27 wins to his name, going past Michael Vaughan.
While question marks remain about Root’s ability as a leader, Silverwood described him as a good Test captain who is learning all the time.
The England coach said in praise of Root:
"Seeing him become England's most successful captain was superb. It's something I've been looking forward to for a while. He's in a great place at the moment and I'm really enjoying watching him.
"I think he's a good Test captain. I think he is growing and learning all the time. We saw that last week. I think there's potential there for him to be one of the great England captains. He's got the potential to be. If we win in Australia, we can have this conversation again."
"Don't want to break them" - England coach hints James Anderson or Ollie Robinson might be rested
James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been brilliant for England in the series so far.
While the veteran bowler has 13 wickets at an average of 19.23, Robinson is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far, having scalped 16 wickets at an average of 19.06.
Despite their superb efforts, Silverwood admitted that England might consider resting one of the two, given the amount of Test cricket coming up. He explained:
"What I don't want to do is break them. We've got a lot of cricket in front of us. The Tests are coming thick and fast now. They're back-to-back. It is difficult. These guys are giving everything, every day when we're out on the field.
"We've got to make sure we're looking after them, but I won't be making any decisions or judgments right now until we get to London."
Meanwhile, both Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are likely to be fit for selection for the fourth Test at the Oval which starts on September 2.
Craig Overton, who came in for Wood at Headingley, will remain in contention, having impressed with six scalps in the Test.