London: England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday appointed former pacer Chris Silverwood as the men's team head coach. 44-year-old former England cricketer has been promoted from the role of bowling coach and will take over the rein from Trevor Bayliss, who left the post at the end of the season.
The ECB's selection panel of Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, Managing Director of England's men's cricket Ashley Giles and Head of Coach Development John Neal unanimously agreed that he was the outstanding candidate for the role having impressed during the interview process and demonstrating his intimate knowledge of the current set-up and systems.
"We are delighted to confirm Chris as England men's head coach. We have gone through a thorough process and looked at all the options that were available to us. Chris was the standout candidate," Giles said in an official statement.
"I believe he is what we need to take our international teams forward. He is somebody we know well, but it is his intimate understanding of our structures and systems and his close relationships with Test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan that will help us develop our plans for the next few years," he added.
Silverwood played a crucial role with the English team in the past and during the recently concluded ICC Men's Cricket World Cup which England won for the first time.
"He has performed exceptionally well during his role as an assistant coach and has the ultimate respect of the players' that have worked with him. Over the past couple of years, he has been an integral member of developing the teams' culture and emerging a cohesive relationship across the team's management group," Giles said.
"Ultimately, his highest quality is that he is a winner and that will be an important part of the job as we look to strive to become the most respected team in the world across all formats," he added.