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Chris Silverwood has lost his job as England head coach and men’s cricket director Ashley Giles has been knocked out following the Ashes’ humiliating defeat.
Here, PA News answers some key questions about what it means and what’s next.
Any complaints from Silverwood or Giles?
Not really. Both have put in a lot of hard work in their respective roles against the backdrop of an unprecedented pandemic and have put England in a gruelling game on the road, but at cricket level things have been going backwards for a while. Ashes always cast a disproportionately large shadow, and this winter’s trip to Australia is set to be a make-or-break mission. England ended it a wicket away from the whitewash and was thoroughly overtaken, leaving the text on the wall.
Will there be more head-scrolling?
Assistant coach Graham Thorpe remains vulnerable, and his credentials as a batting specialist appear to be unable to prevent England’s repeated collapse. A accidentally leaked video of a series ending drinking sessions could also be against him. Deputy Paul Collingwood looked more determined, feeling captain Joe Root might be saved by a lack of fully qualified contenders. There is no shortage of critics for ECB chief Tom Harrison, who has been battling issues including The Hundred, racism in British cricket and his intention to remain despite the latest round of layoffs Get big bonuses. He will appear alongside Giles’ interim replacement, Sir Andrew Strauss, at a media conference on Friday and is likely to be questioned.
What characterizes Strauss in all this?
Few people in the game have as gleaming resumes as the former Middlesex opener. He was the man who led England to the top of the Test rankings and won the Holy Grail of the Down Under series in 2010/11, while his first term as director of cricket set the stage for England’s 2019 World Cup victory Base. He stepped down due to his late wife Ruth’s cancer battle, but has gradually become more active of late. He has now been charged with making arrangements for a trip to the West Indies next month and he will be welcome in whatever role he plays. If he wanted to, he could easily be the biggest voice in British cricket again.
Who will lead the West Indies?
Time is tight as the yet-to-be-selected squad will fly to Antigua in three weeks. It’s safer hands looking forward to an interim appointment with another former England captain, Alec Stewart. If Sarri’s director of cricket could commit to a full-time role, he would tick the box in many ways, but even if he couldn’t, he would be tempted in the short term by one of the only roles he didn’t fill for his country. If a deal can’t be reached there, then internal candidates like Collingwood or Lions head coach Richard Dawson could get a call.
Should England appoint two coaches to replace Silverwood?
If they stick to their current schedule, it seems like a no-brainer. England just played so much cricket that one man couldn’t oversee the red and white balls. The idea of 270 nights a year on the hotel road not only looks more and more barbaric, it doesn’t allow for enough planning and strategy to go into each format. Fixture crunch also scare away some high-quality coaches. Giles has rejected the idea of a split because of his own experience as a limited coach alongside stronger Test specialist Andy Flower, but his ouster should make the transition smoother.
PA Media
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