Silverwood In Danger Of Being Axed By England

Jimmy Anderson Chris Silverwood warm up
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Posted: Feb 1, 2022 | Updated: 4 months ago

Following England’s dismal display in The Ashes down under, it seems as if England Head Coach, Chris Silverwood could be on the brink of losing his position.

Joe Root’s side lost the series 4-0, and many cricketing fans and experts have criticized the 46-year old for picking the wrong XI for each match of the Series, starting with the Broad and Anderson non-selection in the first Test.

Since replacing Trevor Baylis at the end of 2019, England’s form in Test Cricket has fallen drastically, particularly in 2021, where they lost to India, in India, lost to New Zealand at home, followed by going 2-1 down to India at home with one more match to play, and last but not least, the miserable Ashes Down Under.

For that reason, is it time for Silverwood to go, and for England’s Test side to be completely revamped?

With Root still wanting to remain as Test Skipper, is there somebody who the ECB can find, to help him with making better decisions on and off the field?

Gary Kirsten Interested in Coaching Test Side

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Former India and South Africa Coach Gary Kirsten said that he would be interested in the England job, but only for the Test side.

“Listen, it [the England job] is always a consideration because it’s a tremendous honor. I’ve walked this journey twice now and I’ve always made it clear that I would never commit to doing all formats.“And when international cricket boards get their head around the fact that they need to split coaching roles, then it becomes a consideration. I actually said to the CEO of Cricket South Africa that I was happy to just do the Test side because I felt it should be the No 1 side in the world.

“It had all the credentials to do that. The issue is that the different formats have the potential to cannibalise teams. You focus too much attention on one format and the other format takes the hit. It’s not easy to get everything right.

“Look at Australia, they’re now using a lot of players across the different formats. It [England] is an interesting one. I think it’s a great project for someone to come in and take that Test side on. There’s a lot that needs to be put in place to build this Test team out. Maybe the time has come for England to say that Test cricket is their focus.”

Gary Kirsten-The Guardian

Kirsten took charge of both India and South Africa, where they rose to the top of the ICC Test Rankings. He also won the 50-Over World Cup with India under the leadership of MS Dhoni in 2011.

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Coming back to Silverwood and England, the white-ball tour of the West Indies has just got underway, with Eoin Morgan’s side losing the 5-match T20 Series 3-2.

The Test Series is due to begin on 8th March, and England has yet to announce their squad.

Judging by where the teams are in the Test Rankings, this should be a relatively easier Series for England, however, games are not won on paper,

Perhaps it is the time for the ECB, to perhaps strike a balance between England’s white-ball side and the Test team. Whether it’s to have two separate coaches for each format is a matter to be discussed, but if England is to become a major force in Test Cricket, especially away from home, serious changes are going to have to take place.

So, should Silverwood be axed from the role, the ECB should seriously think about replacing him with the South African, as he could be the one to take them to new heights as he did with India and South Africa.

What do you think?

Should the ECB continue to back Silverwood?

Or is it time for someone like Kirsten to take England cricket forward?

Send us your thoughts on World in Sport.

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