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Head coach remains open to selection changes: “If people get runs, I’ll watch out for them”
Chris Silverwood has admitted that England were “obviously not doing well” when they stumbled on the verge of defeat against New Zealand in the LV = Insurance Test series.
On an impeccable stroke course, England was 122 for 9 at stumps on the third day of the test. That gave them a lead of just 37 runs with a wicket in hand. New Zealand, which hasn’t won a Test run in England since 1999, is sure to inflict its first home defeat in a Test run since 2014 for England.
It allowed Silverwood, the English head coach, that the rackets would be “disappointed” with the performance and that his team would “have to improve” if they challenged the top teams in world cricket.
“It’s obviously not good enough,” said Silverwood. “We have to improve, there is no doubt about that. There are things that you can work on without a doubt. Nobody will hide from them or deny them.”
“I’m not going to lie: I thought it would be a great opportunity for some of the younger guys to come in and make their mark on the game. I’m sure one or the other will be disappointed that they didn’t make it.” Do that.
“When do we stop talking and start delivering? I think now we have to see how starts turn into big results. That’s one thing we’re looking for: people who keep going and are greedy when they come in.” “
However, Silverwood asked for a perspective. He pointed out that this English line-up lacked Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler from the top seven first-choice and that in their absence the batting team was one of the youngest in the team’s history.“Let’s have some perspective,” he said. “We have a very young batting team with limited experience. Joe Root is the only guy you would say has a lot of experience in these top seven.
“Reclaiming Buttler and Stokes’ experience will also help the young players. We have seen in the past that putting the inexperienced players between the experienced ones helps them learn. I hope so.” will happen in the India series.
“We have to solidify this line-up and start playing the schedule we want. These are big runs in the first innings, big partnerships and big individual results.”
He rejected the suggestion that the excitement over historical social media posts had in some way distracted his players and expressed the hope that they could learn from the skills and dedication of the New Zealand team.
“I don’t think it is [been a disruption]”, he said. “We went to great lengths to ensure that the noise outside was muffled so that we could focus on cricket. Obviously it’s not easy, but we had to try because we had a friendly to play in.
“There were a lot of lessons out there to learn from. It’s about watching and learning how the New Zealand players run their business, the methods they use and how they apply themselves.”
He admitted, however, that he would remain open to changes in the selection, with Dawid Malan being a name for a recall.
“I’ll keep my mind wide open, that definitely is,” said Silverwood. “So when people run, I’ll take care.”
George Dobell is a senior correspondent for ESPNcricinfo
