England head coach Silverwood steps down after Ashes humiliation

England head coach Chris Silverwood has stepped down following the team's meek surrender in the Ashes series against Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.

Published : Feb 04, 2022 08:31 IST

England head coach Chris Silverwood has stepped down following the team's meek surrender in the Ashes series against Australia.

England head coach Chris Silverwood has stepped down following the team's meek surrender in the Ashes series against Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.

Silverwood had come under pressure after England lost the five-Test Ashes series 4-0, with former skipper Mike Atherton calling for a complete overhaul of the England management.

The announcement comes a day after Ashley Giles left his role as the managing director.

 

"It's been an absolute honour to be England head coach, and I'm extremely proud to have worked alongside our players and staff," Silverwood said.

 

"The last two years have been very demanding but I have really enjoyed my time with the team and working with Rooty (test captain Joe Root) and Morgs (white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan), and I am very proud of this group considering the challenges."

"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," ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said in a statement.

England has reinvented itself as a white-ball powerhouse since its early exit from the 2015 World Cup, winning the next edition of one-day cricket's biggest title on home soil.

But its record in the longest format of the game has been less impressive in recent years, with the final Ashes Test loss in Hobart marking their 15th consecutive Test in Australia without a win.