England head coach Chris Silverwood has stepped down following the team’s meek surrender in the Ashes series against Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.
Silverwood had come under pressure after England lost the five-Test Ashes series 4-0, with former skipper Mike Atherton calling for a complete overhaul of the England management team.
The announcement came a day after Ashley Giles, who appointed Silverwood, left his role as managing director.
“It’s been an absolute honor to be England head coach, and I’m extremely proud to have worked alongside our players and staff,” Silverwood said.
“The last two years have been very demanding, but I have really enjoyed my time with the team and working with Rooty [Test captain Joe Root] and Morgs [white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan], and I am very proud of this group considering the challenges,” he said.
Former England captain Andrew Strauss has replaced Giles on an interim basis and will appoint a caretaker coach for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies next month.
“In the coming days Andrew Strauss will appoint a caretaker coach for the tour of the West Indies and will then consider the appropriate coaching structures to help England move forwards,” ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said in a statement.
England have reinvented themselves as a white-ball powerhouse since their early exit from the 2015 World Cup, winning the next edition of one-day cricket’s biggest title on home soil, but their record in the longest format of the game has been less impressive, with the final Ashes Test loss in Hobart marking their 15th consecutive Test in Australia without a win.
During his time in charge 46-year-old Silverwood was also “head selector,” and employed a controversial “rest and rotation” policy, largely because of the demands on players during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of England’s selections have raised eyebrows, but the underlying problem has been their consistent failure to make enough runs, as witnessed in Australia where they failed to post one score in excess of 300.
England last year suffered consecutive a home Test series defeats by New Zealand and were 2-1 down to India when the final match was postponed after a COVID-19 outbreak in the India camp.
Root’s future as the Test skipper has also come under doubt after the humiliating Ashes capitulation to Australia, with all-rounder Ben Stokes considered a viable option to replace him.
British media reported that batting coach Graham Thorpe could also be relieved of his duties after a series of batting collapses by the team in Australia.
Following Silverwood’s exit, England are now hunting for their third head coach since 2019.
Justin Langer has been linked with the England role and could soon be available after being told by Cricket Australia that he would have to reapply for the job at the end of his contract in the middle of this year.
England are due to play three Test matches against the West Indies starting from March 8 in North Sound, Antigua.
Last month, they lost a T20 international series 3-2.
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