Paul Collingwood appointed England men's head coach on interim basis

Collingwood will take charge of the Test squad for the three matches against West Indies next month, replacing Chris Silverwood who was sacked last week

Paul Collingwood has said the Caribbean tour represents a chance for England to get "back on track" after being appointed men's head coach on a short-term basis.

Collingwood will take charge of the Test squad for the three matches against West Indies next month, replacing Chris Silverwood who was sacked last week.

The 45-year-old will be hoping for a quick response from an England side which endured a miserable winter in Australia, and has come in for substantial criticism for a series of meagre peformances with the bat.

"I am genuinely excited to be leading the Test team for the tour of the Caribbean. I can't wait to get started," he said.

^{Paul Collingwood took charge of the recent T20I tour of the Caribbean (Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)}

"Having a challenging Test series against the West Indies straight off the back of the Ashes disappointment gives us a chance from now to reset and rebuild. 

"Playing Test matches for England is the highest accolade in the game. My objective is to give players clarity, direction and encouragement for them to start building something special."

Joe Root will continue to captain the England side despite his team's Ashes struggles, while Collingwood will be supported behind the scenes by Marcus Trescothick and Jon Lewis. 

The England squad is expected to be announced on Tuesday (February 8).

England are due to leave for Antigua on February 24, with the first Test set to get under way on March 8. The second Test is scheduled for March 16 in Barbados, and Grenada is the host for the final game of the campaign, from March 24.

^{England are looking to bounce back from the 4-0 Ashes loss (William West/AFP via Getty Images)}

Collingwood will join the team in Antigua, as he is currently on holiday having overseen the T20I series against West Indies on Barbados last month, which England lost 3-2.

"I have spoken to Joe Root and Ben Stokes, and both are excited and passionate to take the team forward in this new cycle. Although they know it won't be easy, they have the desire and bravery to do things differently to ensure the team can prosper," he said.

"We have an opportunity to get back on track."

The process to hire a full-time successor to Silverwood is likely to take some time, while there remains a possibility that the red and white-ball coaching roles could be split in the future following a review headed by Sir Andrew Strauss.