Chris Silverwood's coronation as England coach came with a warning from his former Test captain Nasser Hussain: “You might have to upset a few people.”
Only the second Englishman after Peter Moores to be handed the job this century, Silverwood pipped former South African opener Gary Kirsten to the job.
The ex-Yorkshire fast bowler, known as ‘Spoons’ around the counties, will be a popular appointment in the England dressing room, where he was the respected pace bowling coach.
But Hussain, who was England skipper when Silverwood won the last of his six Test caps in Australia 17 years ago, warned he must be prepared to put noses out of joint and bruise a few egos.
He said: “There is a massive difference between being a friendly bowling coach and being the main man, picking and choosing your time to get tough with the players, especially in the Test arena. That will be a challenge – at the moment he is popular, but if he wants to do a good job, he might have to upset a few people.
“When I played with him, he was a very likeable, down-to-earth, simple lad who realised that playing for England was an absolute dream.
“So he’s lived the dream as a player and will now be pinching himself that he’s England coach – and he will be judged by his results.”
Silverwood, 44, takes over from Trevor Bayliss, whose four-year reign ended after last month’s drawn Ashes series.
The first action comes in New Zealand, where they play five Twenty20 internationals and two Tests starting on November 1.
He said: “I am excited to get started and build teams the whole game can be proud of. There is a tremendous amount of talent coming through and enormous potential for growth.
“The hard work starts now and I am confident we can make a positive impact during our winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa.”
Bayliss leaves with England as World Cup holders, but down to No.4 in the Test rankings and managing director Ashley Giles has opted for a safe pair of hands.
Kirsten, who appeared to be favourite for the job a week ago, is believed to have disappointed the Lord’s hierarchy at interview and Giles said: “Chris was the stand-out candidate.
“He is somebody we know well, but it is his close relationships with Test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan that will help us develop our plans for the next few years.”
