The Ashes: Chris Silverwood keen to stay on as England head coach but given no assurances on future
Chris Silverwood believes England Test team are still playing for him and wants County Championship to be staged in middle of summer to help produce spinners and fast bowlers and allow batters to play long innings; head coach admits harrowing Ashes defeat was "hard to watch"
Monday 17 January 2022 12:54, UK
Chris Silverwood is keen to carry on as head coach despite England's Ashes thrashing - but has been given no assurances on his future.
A 4-0 defeat in Australia means England have lost 10 of their previous 14 Test matches under head coach Silverwood.
England return to Test action with a three-match series in the West Indies in March but Silverwood said he does not know whether he will be in charge as he wondered whether he could have "shown his teeth" a bit more.
"Nothing yet, no," said Silverwood when asked whether he had heard anything about his long-term future in the role. "I accept the job I'm in comes with the level of criticism it does and the uncertainty.
"Until I'm told differently, I'll start planning for the West Indies. I want to carry on but there are decisions above that will be made as well.
"My job is going to be under scrutiny, there will be a review when we get home and part and parcel of that will be my job. I would love to help effect changes, and I would like to put some of this right. I think I can do that.
"I think I'm a good coach and I would love to be given that opportunity but it's out of my hands at the moment. We want to sit down, debrief, let the dust settle and the emotions settle.
"I'm not a finished article as a coach and I want to get better all the time. I'm not afraid to show my teeth, but you sometimes wonder in hindsight whether you should do it more. But then does it make it less effective?"
'I believe England are still playing for me'
England lost 10 wickets for 56 runs on the final day in Hobart as they tumbled to a 146-run defeat following yet another batting collapse.
Asked if players still back the England leadership, Silverwood said: "I believe they're still playing for us. The comments I've had from the dressing room would suggest that as well.
"I think what we saw was players that are tired. We've pushed these guys for too long in [bubble] environments. There are obviously skill elements attached to that as well.
"It was hard to watch. At times, you were thinking, 'just get stuck in, show that fight'. But we didn't. There was no point saying we did, because we clearly didn't.
"I would never question the lads' commitment. They're as passionate as the rest of us about England cricket. They want to perform. They train hard, they just came up short."
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said a "red-ball reset" was needed for England to improve their flagging Test fortunes, with captain Joe Root saying players were currently called up "in spite of county cricket, not because of it".
'We need County Championship in middle of summer'
Silverwood added: "Yes, I'm the head coach of England but I'm also an England fan, I'm passionate. I'd like to see changes come in that would help us do the job better - that's what I want,
"I'm not a big one for apportioning blame on people but I do think it needs addressing for the next time we come here. We have got to sit down and get people to make these decisions round a table and make it work.
"We have to see action. If talk is all we do then in four years' time you will just be asking another person these same questions.
"If changes don't happen and we are not preparing the blokes to compete at this level we are not going to move forward and we will stay as we are.
"The changes have to happen if we are serious about being number one in the world and serious about competing in Australia."
"Front-loading and back-loading the County Championship is not helping anyone. I'm more concerned with how we get the Championship working in the middle of the summer.
"If you get that, firstly you're getting the opportunity to learn how to play long innings, score big runs, put partnerships together. But more importantly your spinners are going to come into it as well.
"[Fast bowlers also] have got to have that extra bit of zip or pace to get that movement and get wickets."
