Chris Silverwood sacked as England head coach

Silverwood's two-and-a-half-year tenure was ended on Thursday. It follows a meeting of the ECB board on Tuesday, during which the abject display in the Ashes was discussed

Chris Silverwood has been sacked as England men's head coach.

Silverwood's two-and-a-half-year tenure was ended on Thursday.

It follows a meeting of the ECB board on Tuesday, during which the abject display in the Ashes and a report by former managing director of England men's cricket Ashley Giles into the troubles down under were discussed.

The former Essex head coach, who succeeded Trevor Bayliss in the role when the Australian stood down after the 2019 Ashes, is the second casualty of a miserable winter, which featured a 4-0 defeat and repeated meagre performances with the bat. Giles himself was axed on Wednesday.

^{Alec Stewart is a possible interim coaching option for England}

In a statement released by the ECB, Silverwood said: "It’s been an absolute honour to be England head coach, and I’m extremely proud to have worked alongside our players and staff. I want to thank them all for the hard work and commitment they have given during my time in the role and I wish them all the very best moving forward.

"The last two years have been very demanding but I have really enjoyed my time with the team and working with Rooty [Joe Root] and Morgs [Eoin Morgan], and I am very proud of this group considering the challenges. I leave with fond memories and I am now looking forward to spending some quality time at home with my family and embracing the next chapter."

England will now set about replacing the 46-year-old, but with a three-Test series against West Indies due to get under way in less than six weeks, an interim coach will be appointed to oversee the tour of the Caribbean.

Sir Andrew Stauss, who was brought in to temporarily oversee the England men's structure following Giles' sacking, will be tasked with sorting a replacement.

Alec Stewart, the former England captain and current Surrey director of cricket, is among the candidates.

Stewart's name has previouly been heavily linked to senior coaching positions within the England setup and he may well have been appointed in front of Silverwood in 2019 but for family matters taking precedence.

Paul Collingwood, assistant to Silverwood, would also be a sensible appointment. Collingwood took charge of the recent T20 trip to Barbados, which England lost 3-2 to West Indies. 

The England head coach's elevated role of selector - following a restructure last year which coincided with the departure of Ed Smith - could now be up for review. 

Silverwood had enjoyed total control over selection since Smith's exit, but it is unclear whether any interim coach would enjoy the same authority.

The debate over splitting the England red and white-ball setups in two, and appointing head coaches for each, will also inevitably return in the coming weeks.

^{Both Chris Silverwood and Ashley Giles have now lost their jobs}

Silverwood is unlikely to be the only coaching casualty from England's wretched trip to Australia.

Graham Thorpe - the batting coach who oversaw a side which failed to reach 300 during 10 Ashes innings - is also expected to be leaving his role.

Marcus Trescothick, the former England opener, is set to join the party on the West Indies tour as a temporary replacement.

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, is due to face media on Friday at Lord's alongside Strauss, as question marks continue to hover over his future with the governing body.

In a statement, Harrison said: "During his time in the role Chris has given absolutely everything to make a success of it. He is a man of great integrity, who players and staff alike have enjoyed working with.

"Under Chris, England men’s white-ball teams have been ranked first and second in the world while he also led the Test team to a number of series wins including away in South Africa and Sri Lanka.

"He has led the England Men’s team with great resilience and empathy through an incredibly challenging period for English cricket, and he deserves our sincere thanks and gratitude.

"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."

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