After the Ashes disaster, England sack coach Chris Silverwood

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has parted ways with head coach Chris Silverwood following the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia by Joe Root’s side. Ashley Giles, who appointed Silverwood, resigned as managing director the day before the announcement.

“It’s been an absolute honour to be England head coach, and I’m extremely proud to have worked alongside our players and staff,” Silverwood said.

Former England captain Andrew Strauss has taken over as a temporary coach and will choose a caretaker coach for the upcoming West Indies tour in March.

Since their early withdrawal from the 2015 World Cup, England has remade itself as a white-ball powerhouse, winning the next edition of one-day cricket’s biggest trophy on home soil.

However, their record in the longest format of the game has declined in recent years, with the final Ashes test loss in Hobart marking their 15th consecutive loss in Australia.

England’s former paceman, 46, joined the team’s backroom staff in 2018 as a bowling coach before becoming head coach after the departure of Trevor Bayliss at the end of the 2019 season. Last year, England lost consecutive home Test series to New Zealand and were trailing India 2-1 when the final match was postponed due to a COVID epidemic in the India camp.

Root’s future as Test captain has also been called into question following Australia’s devastating Ashes defeat, with all-rounder Ben Stokes regarded as a likely replacement.

Following Silverwood’s departure, England is now looking for its third head coach since 2019.