‘I do believe I can turn it around’ - Chris Silverwood amid pressure after Adelaide defeat in Ashes

England has lost the first two Ashes Test similarly. After losing the first Test by nine wickets, England came in the second Test with an all-pace attack. The move didn’t work as the Australian batters scored heavily in both innings.

After losing the second Test Joe Root, England’s captain did show his frustration regarding the bowlers not bowling according to the plan. However, several former cricketers, including Michael Vaughan, have mentioned that Root is a little late in addressing the issue with bowling.

After these two defeats, Chris Silverwood, England’s coach, has also received heavy backlash from the cricket fraternity. Some are even questioning his position as the head coach. However, Silverwood feels that he is the right man for this job.

“There always is (pressure). When you take a job like this you accept that. It is what it is. Do I believe I’m the right man? Yes, I do or I wouldn’t have taken the job in the first place. You’re under pressure constantly,” Silverwood said as quoted by India Today.

We had a really good talk in the dressing room: Chris Silverwood

Silverwood also mentioned that the team had a good chat in the dressing room and addressed all the existing issues. He further said that the entire squad focuses on cutting down the errors committed in the first two Tests.

“We had a really good talk in the dressing room which was needed. We have to be better, it’s as simple as that. It is not just batting and bowling. Look at how many chances we have given up in the field: dropped catches, missed run-outs, and everything else,” he added.

“Wickets off no-balls are unacceptable. It is a basic error. We have had batting collapses. We have spoken about the two in these games. We have had collapses before and we can’t afford to do that.”

Silverwood also defended England’s team selection process in both the Test matches. England didn’t pick James Anderson and Stuart Broad in the first Test. They were both brought in the following Test, and Jack Leach, the only specialist spinner, was dropped from the XI. Silverwood believes that the team can bounce back from this position, starting with the Boxing Day Test

“No, I don’t (accept we got it wrong). We picked the best attack for those conditions and you look at the attack we had out, there’s a lot of experience,” he added.

“I do believe I can turn it around. We have had those honest chats and I believe I have the right coaching staff around me to make that happen as well.”