"There is no way Chris Silverwood will (or should) survive the Ashes defeat" - Michael Atherton
Former England opener Michael Atherton believes head coach Chris Silverwood's position is untenable following Joe Root and co.'s embarrassing Ashes series loss. Michael Atherton also feels giving Chris Silverwood the additional responsibility of a national selector was a blunder.
England's Ashes campaign went from bad to worse in the first three Tests as they conceded the urn, with Australia already leading the series 3-0. The tourists crashed to a humiliating 68 in the fourth innings of the must-win Test in Melbourne. England's batting woes have put them on the brink of a clean sweep.
Australia win the third Test and retain the Ashes.
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Writing in his column for The Times, Michael Atherton highlighted that England's awful Ashes campaign leaves Silverwood's spot in danger. Labeling the 46-year old as inexperienced for multiple roles, he wrote:
"There is no way Silverwood will (or should) survive the Ashes, which should allow a reorganisation of the coaching and selecting responsibilities. Chris Silverwood, the head coach, has proved to be a poor appointment; untried and untested at this level. He was given an extraordinary amount of power, but is out of his depth."
Atherton continued:
"Coaching national teams is not regarded as the plum job it once was, given the schedules, and many of the brightest and best prefer the franchise circuit. The best coaches often come with a teaching link somewhere in their background."
The ECB announced Silverwood's promotion as chief selector in April 2021, replacing Ed Smith. England cricket's managing director Ashley Giles declared the abolishment of the role to ensure consistent success. Giles felt the new structure would make the lines of accountability clearer.
"Ben Stokes is a viable alternative to succeed Joe Root as captain" - Michael Atherton
Atherton also believes that while England's domestic structure has been concerning, Root's tactics on the field were questionable. Picking Ben Stokes as the closest alternative, he added:
"For all the discussion around systemic change, this could have been a much closer series had Root got things right on the field. These errors have made a good Australian side look much better than they are. The options are limited, of course. But the lack of alternatives is the worst reason for keeping someone in a job. Ben Stokes is a viable alternative, having done an excellent job as a stand-in briefly in the summer."
Despite the discussions on his captaincy, Root intends to continue as skipper. As a batsman, the right-handed batter has amassed the most Test runs in 2021, accumulating 1708 runs at 61 with six tons.