Former England head coach Chris Silverwood returns to Essex as Director of Cricket

New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) Former England men’s head coach Chris Silverwood has made a return to Essex as their Director of Cricket. Silverwood, who was the head coach when Essex won the 2017 County Championship title, will take up the role from mid-December.
He replaces Anthony McGrath, who has moved on to become head coach of Yorkshire. Starting from 2010, Silverwood spent eight seasons with Essex, two of which were as head coach. He oversaw the club’s promotion to Division One in his first season as head coach and followed it up in the upcoming season with Essex getting their first Championship title in 25 years.
“I’m absolutely delighted to return to Essex. It’s a Club that holds very special memories for me, with the success we enjoyed in 2016 and 2017, and it’s been great to see the success Anthony McGrath has had in the years in between,” said Silverwood in the club’s statement.
“There is work to be done around the squad, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead, with an emphasis on working hard to help develop our home-grown players. Building on the work done by Mags, I’m focused on getting the squad to a point where we have strength in depth, with a strong core of our own local players,” he said.
“I’m excited to get straight to work to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and that the squad is in the best possible shape to compete on all fronts next summer,” he said.
Silverwood then departed Essex to become England men’s fast bowling coach after the 2017 title triumph and became the team’s head coach in October 2019 after Trevor Bayliss’ tenure ended. He spent two-and-a-half years in the role, before becoming the head coach of Sri Lanka, which included winning the 2022 T20 Asia Cup and becoming runners-up in the 2023 ODI Asia Cup.
“We’re thrilled to announce the reappointment of Chris, who was the outstanding applicant in a comprehensive recruitment process. We were clear throughout that we were focused on making the right decision, not just a quick one, and following this process, we firmly believe we have stuck to that and appointed the best candidate,” said Jason Gallian, Chair of Essex Cricket Committee.
“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Cricket Committee, as well as Alastair Cook on the interview panel, who contributed significantly with their expertise. Having spoken to Chris, I know how motivated he is to make his mark in the coming years, and his desire is as high as ever to take on the role of Director of Cricket and lead on the strategic side.”
“Within that, he will play a very important role with a talented Men’s First XI, and he is focused on winning trophies with this Club and growing the game throughout our region. Everyone welcomes Chris back, and we look forward to once again seeing him around The Cloud County Ground and hopefully leading the side to success on the field,” he added.
–IANS
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