Nasser Hussain and David Lloyd have urged England to appoint Australia great Ricky Ponting as head coach, following a dismal Ashes performance against the Aussies down under.
England have been blown away by their old rivals, and a humiliating 146-run defeat in the fifth and final Test in Hobart was the final nail in the coffin, in a devastating 4-0 series defeat.
Plenty of questions have understandably been asked about the England setup from top to bottom, with head coach Chris Silverwood the man taking most of the scrutiny.
Following the crushing defeat many have called for Silverwood to be replaced as head coach, and former England men Hussain and Lloyd believe former Australia captain Ponting is the right man for the job.
Discussing where England’s Test team go from here ahead of the upcoming Test series in West Indies as part of SportMail’s ‘selection panel’, Hussain believes it is the right time for Silverwood to step aside.
He said: “I like Chris Silverwood and half his reign has come in Covid bubbles. I’ve got a lot of sympathy for that…
“But too many mistakes have been made and Silverwood is accountable because of the extra responsibility he has for selection.
“You can look at the system but county cricket doesn’t make you bat first at Brisbane and leave Broad and Anderson out on a green Gabba pitch…
“You can’t take the same management team to the Caribbean and tell them to carry on as if nothing has happened. With a heavy heart I say move away from Silverwood.”
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And, in replacement Hussain believes Ponting should be the man England look to.
“An alternative? I like Ricky Ponting. Everything I see about him impresses me,” he added.
“He might not have a lot of international coaching experience but he’s got a great cricket brain. There are a few out there — unfortunately, not many of them English.
“Justin Langer might be available soon, too, so you never know! I would just about stay with Joe Root.”
The former England captain’s ex-Sky Sports colleague Lloyd agreed, describing Ponting as the ‘perfect’ replacement to come in.
He commented: “If Ponting is available he’d be perfect. He cares about cricket and cricketers, he knows the game inside out and has gravitas.”
Like Hussain though, Lloyd did have sympathies with Silverwood and does believe he should remain in place for the rest of the winter.
The 74-year-old continued: “I’d go with the same two [for the tour of West Indies], Silverwood and Root. But Nass, if you want to go for Ponting, I’m with you.
“I will say the circumstances for Silverwood have been unprecedented so I’d give him the rest of the winter.”
