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England coach Chris Silverwood won’t be with the team for the ODI series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He has decided to take a break as part of England's rotation policy. In Chris Silverwood’s absence, England's assistant coaches Paul Collingwood and Graham Thorpe will take charge of one ODI series each.
After the two-Test series against New Zealand early next month, England will host Sri Lanka and Pakistan in limited-overs contests before taking on India in a five-match Test series.
Speaking to the media, Chris Silverwood explained that it was important for everyone to keep themselves as fresh as possible, given the current scenario. He elaborated:
"It's not fair on the players if I am operating at less than 100 percent and it is not fair on myself either. I won't be providing the level of service that I need. You saw during the winter what we tried to do that with our players to the best of our ability. It's equally as important we do that with the staff. It's important we look after each other."
Chris Silverwood, however, will be available for all of England's Tests and T20Is as two T20 World Cups are scheduled for back-to-back years. The England coach admitted that while it is not easy, it is important for him to "switch off" at times.
"I'm not going to deny it: it's not easy for me to switch off. I am wholly on-board with what we are doing. I am very embedded in it now. I do find it hard to switch off but I'll do my best. I'll be passing the reins on for the ODI series. Thorpey will do one and Colly will do the other and I'll use it as my break to refresh and get ready for what is ahead of us. My missus has already booked us a little getaway up in Norfolk somewhere. I've got to do that otherwise I won't switch off," Silverwood added.
Chris Silverwood backs experienced Paul Collingwood and Graham Thorpe to shine
Even as he briefly steps away, Chris Silverwood is confident that England assistant coaches Paul Collingwood and Graham Thorpe, with their wealth of experience in international cricket, will do well in his absence.
"I said right from the start I was going to step back at times and promote them forward to give them leadership opportunities. This is a great opportunity for us to do that. I think it will be a great experience for them. I wouldn't do it if I didn't trust them 100 percent. If you look at the wealth of experience that the two of them have, it's a massive bonus for me to have them next to me wherever we go. They have had success all round the world. As players, they played a lot more international cricket than me. They're a huge asset to us," Chris Silverwood said.
England are currently gearing up to face New Zealand in a two-match Test series, which will begin at Lord’s on June 2.
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