England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have appointed Chris Silverwood as team England’s new head coach across all formats.
Silverwood will replace Trevor Bayliss, who stepped down from the role at the end of the home season. The 44-year-old has spent the past two years serving as a fast bowling coach under Bayliss.
Silverwood’s first competitive series will be England’s tour of New Zealand, which includes a five-match T20 series starting in November and two Tests against the Black Caps.
While former India and South Africa head coach Gary Kirsten and former England wicketkeeper Alec Stewart emerged as contenders to succeed Australia’s 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,” Giles added.
Meanwhile, Silverwood is excited to get started on 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 ICC Cricket 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.
