Ashley Giles has stepped down from his role as England‘s managing director after the Ashes debacle. Former England captain Andrew Strauss will take the role on an interim basis as ECB is likely to announce a full-time announcement ahead of the summer.
Giles is leaving after three years in the role. In his tenure, the England team achieved some great highs, more so in white-ball cricket. In 2019, they became the 50-over World Champions under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan. However, the pressure was looming large after a humiliating 0-4 defeat in the Ashes. Notable that England also couldn’t win the home Ashes series in 2019.
“I’m extremely grateful to Ashley for his commitment and contribution to England men’s cricket over the last three years. Under his leadership the teams have scored some notable results, most memorably the dramatic victory in the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, while dealing with some of the most challenging times English cricket has ever been through,” ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison said.
“He’s highly respected throughout the game and has made a huge contribution to the ECB and England Men’s cricket. Off the back of a disappointing men’s Ashes this winter we must ensure we put in place the conditions across our game to enable our Test team to succeed,” he added.
Andrew Strauss will replace Ashley Giles on an interim basis
Interestingly Ashley took the job ahead of the West Indies tour in 2019 and now England’s next assignment will be a 3-match test series in West Indies in March. In a statement, Giles thanked ECB for the opportunity.
“I’d like to thank everyone for the support they’ve given me, particularly all the staff and the players, as well as the Board for giving me this opportunity. The past couple of years have been incredibly challenging and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to deliver in the toughest of circumstances. This has undoubtedly protected the future of the game in England and Wales,” Ashley Giles said.
England had a tough time in Test cricket in the last year or so as they couldn’t win the home series against New Zealand and India and also faced a torrid time travelling India and Australia.
“Despite these challenges, over the past three years, we have become 50-over World Champions, the top ranked T20I side in the world, we remain 4th ranked Test team and our under 19s have just reached the World Cup final for the first time in 24 years. I wish all our players and staff great success for the future,” Giles added.
Now it will be interesting to see if England sticks with the same captain-coach combination in form of Joe Root and Chris Silverwood.