Ashley Giles: England managing director stands down after Ashes defeat

Ashley Giles was appointed as England director of cricket in December 2018

England director of cricket Ashley Giles is to stand down following the 4-0 Ashes hammering in Australia.

Sir Andrew Strauss, the man Giles replaced in 2018, will take temporary charge and make arrangements for the forthcoming tour of West Indies.

Giles was in charge when England won the World Cup in 2019, but their performances in Tests have regressed.

Head coach Chris Silverwood's future is also unclear, but there was no further update on Tuesday.

Under Silverwood, the man Giles appointed in 2019, they have won only one of their past 14 Tests.

As well as being head coach, Silverwood is also responsible for selection, an extra responsibility given to him by Giles in April of last year.

Former England spinner Giles presided over a controversial rest-and-rotation policy in 2021, employed largely in response to their crowded schedule during the Covid pandemic.

The tourists were also criticised for the decision making in Australia, with team selection coming under particular scrutiny.

Following England's third-Test defeat in Melbourne, which ensured the series was lost at the earliest opportunity, Giles said he "feels the responsibility" of losing the Ashes.

"I'm extremely grateful to Ashley for his commitment and contribution to England men's cricket over the last three years," said England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison.

"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."

Giles, who played 54 Tests for England and was part of the team that famously won the 2005 Ashes, said: "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.

"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 fourth-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.

"I'm now looking forward to spending some time with my family before looking at the next challenge."

It is an incredible return for Strauss, who stepped down in 2018 to be with his wife Ruth in the final months of her battle against cancer.

The former England captain, 44, must make swift plans for the three Tests against West Indies in March, with a squad due to be announced next week.

'Silverwood will be looking over his shoulder'

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew on BBC Radio 5 Live

The only surprise is that he has gone first. The two mistakes he made were the rest and rotation, which was not popular with the players, and the appointment of Chris Silverwood as the overall supremo.

To have one person running the whole system, as Silverwood was doing for just over a year, is, I don't think, a very good idea - that has been shown to be the case and Giles has done the honourable thing, felt a bit of pressure, and has gone.

Whether Silverwood goes between now and the West Indies, which is coming up very shortly, they've got to settle down and name a team for that… if you remove both so quickly I'm not sure that's a great thing, but I think Silverwood will be looking very anxiously over his shoulder.

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