Paul Collingwood tipped to become permanent England head coach by Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen has backed former teammate Paul Collingwood to replace Chris Silverwood as England head coach on a permanent basis.

Collingwood has been appointed interim head coach for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies and the 45-year-old is thought to be a contender for the permanent job.

Pietersen says he is hopeful that Collingwood impresses in the Caribbean 'so that he can quietly be handed the reins'.

In his latest Betway column, Pietersen said: "One man I'm delighted to see still involved is Paul Collingwood.

"It makes sense to me that when you have a clever, quality, experienced guy like Colly, you use him.

Paul Collingwood has been appointed England's interim head coach and Kevin Pietersen has backed him to get the role permanently (Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

"As I've written, the appointment of the next head coach is not a priority at the moment. I don't have too much interest in who they appoint if it doesn't come with radical change.

"That's why appointing Collingwood, who is already on the payroll, and understands the difficulties that England's Test team are having, makes total sense.

"It means more time and money can be spent solving what are the fundamental issues in our game.

"I really hope Collingwood goes well in the West Indies as interim coach so that he can quietly be handed the reins for a little while longer."

Following his appointment as interim boss, Collingwood called the West Indies series "an opportunity to get back on track" following England's 4-0 defeat to Australia in the Ashes.

"Having a challenging Test series against the West Indies straight off the back of the Ashes disappointment gives us a chance from now to reset and rebuild," Collingwood said.

"Playing Test matches for England is the highest accolade in the game. My objective is to give players clarity, direction and encouragement for them to start building something special.

"I have spoken to Joe Root and Ben Stokes, and both are excited and passionate to take the team forward in this new cycle.

"Although they know it won't be easy, they have the desire and bravery to do things differently to ensure the team can prosper.

"We have an opportunity to get back on track."