England name Chris Silverwood as head coach

LONDON: England cricket chiefs 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, who has spent the past two years serving as fast bowling coach under Bayliss, will take charge for the tour of New Zealand, which includes a five-match Twenty20 series, starting on November 1, and two Tests.

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 on Monday. “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 played six Tests and seven ODIs for England between 1996 and 2002. Silverwood, just the second Englishman to take sole charge of the national side since 1999, said there was plenty of talent coming through the ranks.

“I am thrilled and honoured to be appointed England head coach,” he said. “I aim to continue the great work that has been done over the past five years and build on our future, especially in the Test arena.”