Rating the last 5 England coaches

The role of coach in international cricket is one of the most important facets of the team management. The head coach is often credited or blamed for the performances of the team. However, that was not always the case even a few decades ago as most teams did not have dedicated coaches but only specialised team managers.

The situation is now a lot different and the coach is now quite important to the success of the team. While they need to oversee a team of assistant and fitness coaches, they also have to simultaneously watch hours of footage with video analysts to come up with certain plans.

In such regard, England is one of those international sides which has always given a lot of importance to the role of head coach. Over the years, they have had coaches capable of wielding enormous power over the team.

In chronological order, let us take a look at the five coaches preceding present coach Trevor Bayliss and how they fared with the England team across formats. All coaches are rated on a scale of ten.

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#5 David Lloyd (1996 to 1999) - 7.5

David Lloyd, who is now renowned for his crisp cricket commentary, was once an umpire and then a coach. After his stint with Lancashire, he was appointed as coach of the England team in 1996. Lloyd's stint got off to an excellent start as he oversaw Test series wins against India and South Africa apart from limited overs success against Pakistan, West Indies and India.

It was during Lloyd's stint as a coach that England hired other specialists in the coaching staff that included a fitness expect among others. In 1997, England won the one day series against Australia at home but lost the Ashes 3-2. England proceeded to lose in the return Ashes 3-1 in Australia in 1998/99.

Lloyd's contract was extended after the series defeat in West Indies in 1998. However, in the following year, he stepped down from his role after England failed to get out of their group in the 1999 World Cup at home. Lloyd's coaching stint is known for bringing about modern methods to the England set-up.

#4 Duncan Fletcher (1999 to 2007) - 9

Duncan Fletcher helped England bounce back from a turbulent phase

Former Zimbabwean all-rounder Duncan Fletcher was installed as England coach in 1999. Taking charge of a team which was at the bottom of the Test rankings, his reign saw England embark on one of their most successful spells in years. Fletcher worked extremely well with captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan. During his stint, England recorded famous Test series victories in Sri Lanka, West India, Pakistan and South Africa among others.

Extra Cover: 10 great players who played under Duncan Fletcher

However, the most famous and historic victory came in 2005 when England reclaimed the Ashes after 19 long years. The memorable triumph, without a doubt, was the highest point of his reign as coach. He coached in two World Cups but England weren't able to do well in either of the two events. Fletcher stepped down following the team's disappointing performance in the 2007 World Cup.

#3 Peter Moores (2007 to 2009 and 2014 to 2015) - 6.5

Peter Moores had two reigns as England's head coach

After spending numerous years as coach of Sussex, Peter Moores finally got the coveted post in the wake of Fletcher's exit in 2007. In his first Test series as coach, England defeated the West Indies but then slumped to a 1-0 defeat to India at home. On the other hand, they drew a Test series in Sri Lanka and won a memorable series in New Zealand in 2008.

However, things started going awry for Moores after Kevin Pietersen became captain. The fact that the two did not get along began to affect the team. Following the hefty defeats in both Tests and ODIs in India during the 2008 tour, Moores was sacked along with captain Pietersen. It was during Moores' time that plenty of new players such as Jonathan Trott and Dimitri Mascarenhas were brought into the fold. Moores' second stint as the coach was a short one and it ended in ignominy as England failed to get out of the group stage in the 2015 World Cup in Australia.

#2 Andy Flower (2009 to 2014; Tests only from 2012 to 2014) - 9

Andy Flower enjoyed a productive reign as England coach

After being the assistant coach of the England team from 2007 onwards, former Zimbabwean great Andy Flower was appointed as the 'Team Director' in 2009. Flower was known as a coach who expected high standards from the players and put a premium on discipline as well as training. He oversaw a team of specialists in charge of different aspects of the game. During his reign, England became one of the top teams in the world.

Extra Cover: Under the SKanner - Andy Flower

England won the Ashes twice, including a famous series on Australian soil. Flower also masterminded the team's march to World T20 glory in 2010. Under his watch, Andrew Strauss' troops became the number 1 Test team in the summer of 2011 after whitewashing India 4-0 at home.

However, the Flower era came to an ignominious end as England suffered a humiliating 0-5 whitewash to Australia during the 2013/14 Ashes. Despite the feeling of discontentment in the dressing room during his stint, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) did not completely let go of his services. He was soon made the Technical Director of Elite Coaching.

#1 Ashley Giles (2012 to 2014, ODIs and T20Is only) - 7

Ashley Giles oversaw a brief spell as the coach of England's limited-overs teams

After having served as the Director of Cricket at Warwickshire, former England left-arm spinner Ashley Giles was appointed as the coach of the ODI as well as T20I teams in 2012 in order to reduce Flower's workload at the helm of affairs. Despite his excellent record with Warwickshire, England's fortunes in the limited overs formats did not pick up as expected and there was a general feeling that the team kept playing with outdated tactics.

Under Giles' coaching, England did reach the final of the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy held at home. However, apart from that, there was not much else to cheer about for the seasoned stalwart. Giles paid the price for England's poor performance in the 2014 World T20. Stuart Broad's team lost three matches, including one against Netherlands.