"Joe is our best player and we back him to take us to the Ashes and win them," says Giles on latest Sky Cricket Podcast
Sunday 24 November 2019 13:48, UK
Ashley Giles has given his wholehearted backing to England captain Joe Root and says he will lead the bid to regain The Ashes in Australia in 2021-2022.
England have won just one away Test series under Root's captaincy - a 3-0 sweep in Sri Lanka in 2018 - and were unable to prise the Ashes from Australia at home this summer as the series ended 2-2.
Root said after the Ashes that he was determined to continue as skipper and Giles, England's managing director of men's cricket, sees no reason to make a change.
Speaking on the Sky Cricket Podcast, which you can listen to in the player below or by downloading here, Giles said: "We think Joe is the man for the job.
"There is a lot of pressure and everyone's circumstances can change but he has a huge amount of qualities. He is our best player and we back him to take us to the Ashes and win them.
"It's great hearing him talk about that. We still have to win in the space between now and then but it's a great target to aim for.
"It's better to have that target down the line - we can then map back from there rather than approach every Test a bit aimlessly."
England prioritised white-ball cricket after their dismal showing in the 2015 World Cup and were rewarded as they pipped New Zealand to win the 2019 version in a thrilling final last summer.
Giles says white-ball cricket remains important with T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021 but admitted there is a now a greater focus on Tests as England look to win back the Ashes and also perform strongly in the inaugural World Test Championship, which runs between 2019 and 2021.
When asked by Ian Ward whether England's World Cup bid dented their results in Test cricket, Giles said: "I think it did a little bit but we needed to do it, no doubt.
"Now we are moving into a new era. That doesn't mean we are throwing everything into Test cricket.
"We are not taking our eyes off white-ball cricket, where T20 will take priority with two T20 World Cups in the next two years, but we do need to give Test cricket some more focus.
"The World Test Championship gives it a bit more narrative and Joe, [head coach] Chris Silverwood and I have already spoken about the Ashes coming up in the next couple of years.
"We have looked at all the different elements, from strength and conditioning, to analysis, to players, to coaches - what do we need to go and win in Australia? Then you work back from that.
"We have to make the most of every Test match and check that we are doing the right things and make sure we are improving.
"Underneath that we need Loughborough [the National Cricket Performance Centre], our counties and our best coaches working on producing players that will help us win the Ashes back."
Silverwood stepped up from bowling coach to head coach following Trevor Bayliss' departure in September and Giles explained the reason why the former Essex supremo - who led the Chelmsford side to the County Championship title in 2017 - was chosen.
"He has got some great qualities as a coach," Giles said of Silverwood, who beat off competition from the likes of former India and South Africa coach Gary Kirsten to land the role.
"I think what he did with Essex as head coach in a short space of time is still evident now in the legacy he left [with them also winning the County Championship in 2019].
"His knowledge of the system and his relationships with the people within the team, particularly Root and Eoin Morgan, was really important as well. I think we have got a really good man."
Also on the latest Sky Cricket Podcast, Giles discusses...
- How Silverwood will have a big say in further coaching appointments
- How selecting the final XI for Test matches ultimately comes down to Root
- The role of new performance director Mo Bobat
- Why he retains faith in the England Lions system
- The importance of player workload and well-being
- How England can fight for trophies on all three fronts
