Ashley Giles backs Chris Silverwood’s appointment as Head Coach
Getty
Ashley Giles, the director of men’s cricket, has brushed aside all the negativity surrounding Silverwood’s appointment as England’s head coach. Silverwood is only the second Englishman to take this position in the last twenty years, with many seeing this as a missed opportunity to bring a big name.
Gary Kirsten was supposed to be a front-runner for the position of the head coach of the England team, but after Silverwood impressed the ECB panel in the interview, he was rewarded by being offered the role of the head coach. Many veteran England players like Kevin Pietersen deemed this to be a questionable decision, with Silverwood’s lack of international coaching experience coming under the scanner. But Giles quickly put the negativity aside and backed Silverwood to do well as a head coach during his press conference at Lords’.
"I don't really understand it. If you've got the right man, you've got the right man," Giles said, reported Cricbuzz.Â
"I would ask the other question. When were we going to break this cycle where someone who is English isn't good enough to coach our own country? No one else seems to have a problem with that. And it all comes down to having the right person with the right skills. Why is knowledge of your own system so negative?,” he added.
Giles showed his displeasure towards the idea of an English coach not being good enough to coach England. He is proud that England now has an English coach.
"I'm pleased the right man is English because it helps break that cycle we were in where we couldn't employ an English coach and I think we've got a good one here," he said.
Silverwood had expressed his desire to provide maximum support to Joe Root and create a good understanding with the players. Winning back the Ashes was his number one priority. These thoughts impressed the ECB and thus Giles expressed his happiness in appointing Silverwood.
"We want someone who is going to give Joe more support, put more structure in place around him and together form that DNA of what a Test team looks like," Giles said.
Ashley Giles also acknowledged the work that Travor Bayliss had put in as an England coach and believed that it was him that made England play the fearless brand of white-ball cricket due to which they ended up winning the World Cup. He also believes that Silverwood, like Bayliss, can break stereotypes and put together a successful tenure, thereby ensuring England stay atop across all formats.
"Trev's style worked so well in so many other areas with different people. That was why the white-ball team flew. I'm sure when he came in with that method people thought 'what the bloody hell's going on here?' Morgs [Eoin Morgan] ran into that space and took charge. But Eoin and Joe are very different people and that's where being able to flex your style across different environments is important and I do think this bloke can do that," he signed off.
