England Cricket Board have appointed Chris Silverwood as the head coach of England men cricket team across formats. Silverwood will take reins from Trevor Bayliss whose tenure ended after the Ashes 2019. Many veteran coaches like Gary Kirsten and Otis Gibson were also in the race to grab the position. However, Silverwood was described as the "outstanding candidate" by a three-man selection panel and the latter got the responsibility of taking England cricket forward. The 44-year old was the bowling coach of England since the start of Ashes 2017-18. So, the veteran has a fair idea about the team’s mindset, and will be expected to do a good job.

Silverwood will take office from Bayliss who guided England to new heights, including the 2019 World Cup triumph. So, the new coach has big boots to fill and will want to replicate the success of the former. Silverwood is a former pacer who represented England in six Tests and seven ODIs. The latter doesn’t have a great international record but made his mark as a coach. Silverwood changed the fortunes of Essex and guided the team to the title in 2017 County Championship.

England's Managing director Ashley Giles believes that the latter is the perfect candidate to take the team forward as he is well of the team's atmosphere and shares a good bond with side's Test skipper Joe Root and limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan. Silverwood was also delighted to seize the spot and claimed that the side has immense talent and potential and is confident to put up a good show in New Zealand and South Africa tour.

Silverwood’s first assignment as England's coach is when the country tours New Zealand in late October. The tournament will comprise five T20Is and a couple of Test matches. So, the coach will be challenged to guide the team in two entirely different formats. New Zealand have emerged as a formidable force in the cricketing world and defeating them in their own den will not be an easy job. So, it will be interesting to see, how Silverwood will go about his business with the world champions. (With AFP Inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2019 03:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).