Paul Collingwood named England's interim head coach for West Indies tour

Former England all-rounder and assistant coach, Paul Collingwood has been appointed as the interim head coach of England for the upcoming three Tests in West Indies next month. This will be the first Test series for the England side after the disastrous 0-4 Ashes loss in Australia. Subsequently, Chris Silverwood was sacked from the head coach and the position went vacant.

Meanwhile, Collingwood had recently taken care of the England side in the T20I series against West Indies in which they lost 2-3. The 45-year-old had a brilliant career for his country in all the formats and even, led the English side to victory in the 2010 T20 World Cup. The likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes have cut down IPL ambitions this year to rebuild their test side that faced a hammering in the Ashes.

West Indies Tests wil give us a chance to reset: Paul Collingwood

Collingwood mentioned that he is very much excited about taking the charge for the Caribbean Tests and revealed his aspirations to rebuild the Test side after a horrific Ashes series. A lot of changes especially in the batting lineup is expected for the England Test squad and the County cricket has been relooked for improvisations as well.

“I am genuinely excited to be leading the Test team for the tour of the Caribbean. I can’t wait to get started. Having a challenging Test series against the West Indies straight off the back of the Ashes disappointment gives us a chance from now to reset and rebuild.” Collingwood was quoted as saying by ecb.co.uk

Collingwood added that it is a huge honour for any player to represent the English Test side and noted about his conversations with the skipper Root and vice-captain Stokes.  He revealed that the team has been highly motivated to come back from the hard times and there is a non better example than their limited-overs side facing an early exit in the 2015 World Cup and going on to win the 2019 World Cup by playing a different brand of cricket.

“Playing Test matches for England is the highest accolade in the game. My objective is to give players clarity, direction and encouragement for them to start building something special. I have spoken to Joe Root and Ben Stokes, and both are excited and passionate to take the team forward in this new cycle. Although they know it won’t be easy, they have the desire and bravery to do things differently to ensure the team can prosper. We have an opportunity to get back on track.” he added