“There is pace in English cricket,” believes Chris Silverwood, the man now tasked with bringing it to the fore and rejuvenating an attack mocked across Australia for a lack of it. The ODI series marks the start of Silverwood’s tenure as England’s bowling coach, taking over from Ottis Gibson, who left the role at the end of last summer.
Silverwood boasts a decorated CV, having led Essex as head coach to promotion from Division Two immediately followed by a first County Championship title for 25 years last summer. Before 2016 he was the club’s bowling coach and assumed that role on various ECB pace programmes and Lions tours. It was in these moments, Silverwood believes, he left an impression on his future employers: “They probably thought I had the right character for this level.”
As a player Silverwood took 577 first-class wickets between 1993 and 2009. He won six Test caps, the last coming in Perth during the 2002-03 Ashes tour when he injured an ankle. The selectors soon moved on to Jimmy Anderson but many felt Silverwood was given short shrift. Coaching has rekindled his international desires.
“Maybe I wasn’t good enough. Last time I played in Australia, I did my ankle in. Then Jimmy came through. I’m not going to get my place back off Jimmy! I’d love to have played more. As a kid you grow up and you want to wear the three lions. You work hard and I was lucky enough to do that. And I had the same ambition as a coach.”
Now he will be advising Anderson and Stuart Broad, while also working to ensure life beyond them will not be as dim as it seems. “I see my role as supporting Jimmy and Broady as well as identifying bowlers. Working with the guys who are lower down the chain and bring them through.”
Already Mark Wood has made a strong impression: “That first ball he sent down [a bouncer to David Warner in the first ODI]: he said he was going to do it and he did it. I love that. He puts his money where his mouth is. Absolutely brilliant.”
The 42-year-old will provide the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, with a better view of county cricket. Silverwood has been around and believes there are fast bowlers there waiting to be nurtured. “There’s George Garton, Jamie Overton. They’re 90mph. Part of our role is to bring them through and, hopefully, progress them to Test cricket.”
Silverwood is a believer that fast bowling can be taught – but only to those, he says, who exhibit “certain pace indicators” that will allow them to take on lessons or physical labour. “It’s not easy to bowl fast otherwise everyone would be doing it. It is hard work. The guys are out there and some of them are young. We have to give them time to develop. There’s no magic wand.”
“Environment” is a key part of Silverwood’s ethos: creating a space where youngsters learn by doing. Before Essex’s title push in 2016 he requested flat pitches: partly because the visiting side could choose to bat first, partly for runs but mostly because he believed it would get his bowlers working to find ways to take wickets.
“For me bowling on good, hard, flat decks as a bowler helps you learn. If you miss, you get whacked. The better wickets you play on, the best bowlers will come through and the cream will rise to the top.”
