Chris Silverwood comes with the strongest possible endorsement from the Essex and England cricketers with whom he has worked. Nobody I have spoken to has a bad word to say about him or his coaching skills. Nevertheless, his appointment to the role of England head coach feels like a missed opportunity to reorder the coaching set-up so that it is nimbler and more dynamic, and to welcome a fresh voice and new ideas to the dressing room. It would be easy to underestimate Silverwood, 44, who is a highly respected and successful coach, having taken an underachieving Essex team to consecutive County Championship titles — Division Two in 2016 and then, unexpectedly, Division One the following year. The double-winning Essex side of this season is, essentially,…

Source: The Times October 07, 2019 16:11 UTC