The England Test team has been surrounded by plenty of questions since their 4-0 Ashes series defeat against Australia last week. Both skipper Joe Root, as well as coach Chris Silverwood, have been facing backlash for their leadership during the series.
Former England skipper Nasser Hussain provided some answers to some questions as he suggested that none other than Ricky Ponting should take over as the England team head coach.
Ponting doesn’t have the experience of coaching an international team yet but has done coaching in the Indian Premier League. He has coached Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the IPL and was a part of the Australian men’s national team’s support staff at the 2021 World Cup.
More than his experience, it's his acuity that has impressed Hussain the most, and this change can benefit England cricket to a huge extent.
Speaking to SportMail, Hussain commiserated with Silverwood who had to play the roles of both coach and a selector for the team. But now having seen Silverwood make some blunders in team selection, the former England player wants him to move on.
“I like Chris Silverwood and half his reign has come in Covid-19 bubbles. I’ve got a lot of sympathy for that… But too many mistakes have been made and Silverwood is accountable because of the extra responsibility he has for selection. You can look at the system but county cricket doesn’t make you bat first at Brisbane and leave (Stuart) Broad and (James) Anderson out on a green Gabba pitch,” said Hussain.
“You can’t take the same management team to the Caribbean and tell them to carry on as if nothing has happened. With a heavy heart I say move away from Silverwood,” he added.
“An alternative? I like Ricky Ponting. Everything I see about him impresses me. He might not have a lot of international coaching experience but he’s got a great cricket brain. There are a few out there — unfortunately, not many of them are English. If Ponting is available, he’d be perfect. He cares about cricket and cricketers, he knows the game inside out and has gravitas,” said Hussain further.
A number of changes are expected to be made in the England Test team. England will be facing West Indies in 5 T20Is and 3 Tests.
