Silverwood to rejoin Essex as director of cricket

Chris Silverwood took 577 first-class wickets during his playing career

Former England head coach Chris Silverwood will return to Essex as director of cricket ahead of the 2025 county season.

The 49-year-old was in charge of the first team at Chelmsford from 2016 to 2018, winning the County Championship in the second of his three seasons.

He was appointed by England in October 2019 but left in February 2022 following a 4-0 Ashes series defeat in Australia, taking over as Sri Lanka head coach two months later.

Silverwood resigned from that post in June and now replaces Anthony McGrath, who left Essex last month after nine seasons to become head coach at Yorkshire.

"It’s a club that holds very special memories for me, with the success we enjoyed in 2016 and 2017, and it’s been great to see the success Anthony McGrath has had in the years in between," he said.

"There is work to be done around the squad, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead, with an emphasis on working hard to help develop our homegrown players.

"I’m excited to get straight to work to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible and that the squad is in the best possible shape to compete on all fronts next summer."

Familiar faces remain

Captain Tom Westley, spinner Simon Harmer, pace bowlers Jamie Porter and Sam Cook, batsman Nick Browne and all-rounder Paul Walter remain at Essex from the squad who won the title under Silverwood in 2017, having been promoted the previous year.

His first game in charge next summer will be a home Championship game against Surrey, title winners for the last three years, starting on 4 April.

"We were clear throughout that we were focused on making the right decision, not just a quick one, and following this process, we firmly believe we have stuck to that and appointed the best candidate," said Cricket Committee chair Jason Gallian.

"Having spoken to Chris, I know how motivated he is to make his mark in the coming years, and his desire is as high as ever to take on the role of director of cricket and lead on the strategic side."

Essex did the Championship/T20 Blast double in 2019 and added the Bob Willis Trophy the following year, but have not won anything since then.

They finished fourth in the Championship this summer and failed to reach the knockout stage in either the 20 or 50-over white-ball competitions.

Former pace bowler Silverwood took 577 first-class wickets during his playing career, which included spells with home county Yorkshire and Middlesex, and he played six Tests between 1996 and 2002 and seven one-day internationals.

He first joined Essex as bowling coach in 2010 and was promoted to head coach in December 2015, succeeding Paul Grayson.

"People quite rightly focus on the success around 2016-2017 but they forget that Chris was here for a number of years before doing a lot of work in the second eleven," general manager Dan Feist told BBC Essex.

"He identified Jamie Porter and worked with him on his skills and Sam Cook, when he was coming up through the pathway, so he knows what that looks like.

"He’s got two of his own boys in the pathway at the moment so he’s really bought into that opportunity."

"He’s really keen to get his teeth not only into coaching the side and making sure the first team stay competitive but also looking at that longer-term picture that ties into the way the game is changing and adapting to that, helping us stay competitive over the next five, 10, 15 years with players coming through, both for the men’s team and the women’s team, we’ve always had that success of producing players right through the programme," added Feist.

Analysis - 'Unfinished business' at Chelmsford

Essex have won the County Championship eight times, including under Chris Silverwood in 2017

by Victoria Polley, BBC Essex sports editor

This feels like a really positive appointment for Essex.

Not only did Chris Silverwood lead them to back-to-back trophies in 2016 and 2017 but he was around the club for a number of years before that success and had a big hand in the likes of Jamie Porter and Sam Cook breaking into the first team, which has been so important for Essex in recent seasons.

The international experience he has had since then can only have broadened his horizons and there is continuity as he is taking over from his former assistant Anthony McGrath, who built on Silverwood's success with another County Championship and the Bob Willis Trophy.

Following McGrath’s departure last month, for Silverwood to come in and replace him feels like a full circle for him and Essex, who have unfinished business together.

More to follow.