Chris Silverwood would have to upset a few to do a good job, says Nasser Hussain
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Former English skipper Nasser Hussain believes that England's newly-appointed coach Chris Silverwood would have to make a few tough decisions in order to excel in his role. Hussain also hailed the man-management ability of Silverwood, who would now be taking over duties from Trevor Bayliss.
England Cricket Board (ECB), on Monday, put months and months of speculation to bed by appointing Chris Silverwood as the team's coach across all formats, despite rumours suggesting a potential gig for former South African batsman Gary Kirsten. Silverwood, who was the bowling coach of the team before being handed over the head coach role, is well versed with the team, its culture, and the players and so was unanimously appointed by a committee led by Ashley Giles.
Silverwood, who is a popular figure in the dressing room, is known for his exceptional man-management skills. However, former English skipper Nasser Hussian believes that the Englishman would have to make a few tough decisions and upset a few people in order to excel at his job.
"When you're bowling coach, you have to be friends - especially with bowlers, who love someone to put an arm around them. Silverwood would definitely have been a 'softly, softly' sort, and there's a massive difference between being a friendly bowling coach and being the main man picking and choosing the times when you need to get hard and tough with your group of players, especially in the Test arena where England have been under-performing," Hussain told Sky Sports.
"That will be a challenge for him. There is no such thing as a popular coach or a popular captain. You're there to make tough decisions and be tough with your team. At the moment he is popular, but if he wants to do a good job, he'll have to upset a few as well," he added.
Hussain believes that ECB and Giles went for Silverwood over Kirsten and others because he was a safe bet and also because he knows the players and the system inside out. Hussain also lauded the man-management skills of Silverwood, deeming it "exceptional".Â
"I'd say he's a safe pair of hands. When one or two others ruled themselves out, I think Ashley Giles went for someone he knows and trusts. He's someone who seems to ask the right questions, at the right time. He's that type of coach - he's not an in-your-face type; he's very popular in the England dressing room, already in there with the players," the former English skipper opined.
"He knows the time to say things and not say things. I'm talking bowlers here, but he puts little ideas into their minds and makes it seem like it was almost their idea; his man-management is absolutely first class,” he signed off.
