LONDON: England coach Chris Silverwood stepped down on Thursday to pay the price for the team's loss in the Ashes series in Australia, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced.
A day after Silverwood left Ashley Giles, who appointed him in 2019, was sacked from the role of England's managing director of men's cricket.
England's 4-0 reversal in Australia means they have now won just one of their last 14 Tests, although Silverwood's tenure coincides with the coronavirus pandemic.
Former England captain Andrew Strauss has taken over from Giles on a temporary basis and will oversee the appointment of an interim coach for the West Indies tour in March, according to ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.
Harrison said that Silverwood had given "absolutely everything" to make the job a success, pointing to Test series victories in South Africa and Sri Lanka, and that he was a man of "great integrity" to work with. The players had fun.
- 'challenging period' -
"He has led the England men's team with great resilience and empathy during an incredibly challenging period for English cricket, and he deserves our sincere thanks and gratitude."
Giles, a former England left-arm spinner, has received fresh criticism for giving Silverwood the sole right to choose the team after national selector Ed Smith was sacked during the Ashes.
Silverwood, having been involved in a controversial rest and rotation policy during series losses away from India and at home to New Zealand in 2021, found himself under fire again after several bizarre selection decisions in Australia.
For a grueling schedule and all the tensions of 'bubble' cricket, it was hard to explain, for example, why England dropped James Anderson and Stuart Broad, two of their most successful Test bowlers of all time, from the series opener in Brisbane. Gave.
England were quickly down 3–0 in the five-match series, ridiculing Silverwood's comment that the team needed to get off to a good start given the "Ashes are a marathon and not a sprint".
They avoided a whitewash only with a draw in the fourth Test when Silverwood was in Covid-enforced isolation.
The 46-year-old former Test pacer joined the backroom staff as bowling coach in 2018 and replaced Trevor Bayliss as head coach in the home Ashes series next year.
Silverwood was tasked with improving England's Test record, as his white-ball form under Australian coach Bayliss had improved so spectacularly that Eoin Morgan's men had won the 50-over World Cup three years earlier.
But star England batsman Joe Root, who is set to continue as Test captain, also could not save his form from deteriorating.
"It is an absolute honor to be the head coach of England and I am extremely proud to work with our players and staff," Silverwood said in an ECB statement.
"The last two years have been very demanding but I have really enjoyed my time with the team. I am very proud to see the challenges this group faces."