Chris Silverwood and Graham Thorpe likely to follow as Ashley Giles departs England role after Ashes disaster

Ashley Giles last night became the first man to lose his job in the wake of England men’s disastrous Ashes defeat Down Under, but head coach and selector Chris Silverwood’s future was hanging by a thread today.

The ECB announced yesterday that Giles was “standing down” as the managing director of men’s cricket, a role he held since 2019, and has been replaced on an interim basis by his predecessor, Andrew Strauss.

Giles had met the ECB’s embattled CEO Tom Harrison yesterday and was removed from the role with immediate effect.

Three years after stepping down to be with his wife Ruth in her final months battling cancer, Strauss has remained an influential figure in English cricket. He has been an adviser to a board significantly lacking cricket knowledge and chair of the cricket performance committee.

Strauss was tasked with reviewing Giles’ report into a dismal tour that England lost 4-0. His recommendations have seen the board first remove Giles — and Silverwood seems likely to follow in the coming days.

Time is of the essence because England find themselves playing Test cricket again in a month, against West Indies. In the longer term it is likely that the red- and white-ball coaching jobs will be split, but high-profile candidates are thin on the ground. Contenders to lead in the Caribbean— for which a squad needs to be picked next week — include Alec Stewart, of Surrey, and internal figures Paul Collingwood and Richard Dawson.

Graham Thorpe, the assistant coach with responsibility for the team’s batting, also seems likely to lose his job, with Marcus Trescothick lined up for the role in the Caribbean.

Giles appointed Silverwood head coach when Australian Trevor Bayliss left the role in 2019 (Silverwood had been