LONDON, Oct 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – England have named Chris Silverwood as
their new head coach to replace Trevor Bayliss, who stepped down last month
at the end of his contract.
The 44-year-old has spent the past two years serving as fast bowling coach
under Bayliss.
Silverwood’s first competitive series will be England’s tour of New
Zealand, which includes a five-match Twenty20 series starting in November and
two Tests against the Black Caps.
While former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten and Surrey’s
director of cricket Alec Stewart emerged as contenders to succeed Australian
Bayliss, managing director of England men’s cricket Ashley Giles described
Silverwood as the “standout candidate.”
“I believe he is what we need to take our international teams forward,” he
said. “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.”
“Ultimately, his highest quality is that he is a winner and that will be
an important part of the job as we look to strive to become the most
respected team in the world across all formats,” he added.
The 44-year-old, who played six Tests and seven one-day internationals for
England between 1996 and 2002, coached Essex to the County Championship title
in 2017 before joining the England set-up.
Silverwood said he was excited to get started in the job.
“There is a tremendous amount of talent coming through, and there is
enormous potential for growth,” he said. “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.”
England won the 50-over World Cup in July for the first time but failed to
wrest back the Ashes from Australia, who retained the urn after a 2-2 draw.