Former Yorkshire pace star leaving champions for England

Former Yorkshire pace bowler Silverwood has been a revelation since taking over as head coach at Chelmsford, helping Essex claim this year’s Specsavers County Championship crown in unexpected fashion after sealing promotion from Division Two in 2016.

Silverwood will take over from Ottis Gibson, who left to take charge of South Africa at the end of the summer, but will not take up the role until the new year.

This means he is unlikely to play any formal role in England’s Ashes campaign.

The squad are already in Australia ahead of the series, with former New Zealand quick Shane Bond drafted on a temporary basis to assist in preparations for the first two Tests. Silverwood, meanwhile, had a prior agreement to travel Down Under in November as part of the England Lions coaching set-up.

The 42-year-old will fulfill that obligation before formally taking up the reins with the senior squad in January.

Silverwood earned the last of his six Test caps during the 2002-03 Ashes, managing just four overs in Perth before injuring his ankle. He also appeared in seven one-day internationals.

Meanwhile, James Vince is determined to take his “second chance” of a Test career by making a name for himself in this winter’s Ashes.

Vince, pencilled in as England’s No 3 in Australia unless captain Joe Root thinks again about his own promotion back up the order, mustered an average of just 19.27 in seven home Tests before he was dropped last year.

He admitted to an element of surprise to be chosen again for the highest-profile tour of all, to try to fill one of England’s problem positions.

But in the intervening month, the 26-year-old has got his head round the mission and when he became the first of Root’s squad to hold a press conference, after the captain’s statement of intent on arrival in Perth on Sunday, Vince did so with confidence and optimism.

“It’s a second chance,” he said.

“Cookie (Alastair Cook) alluded to it before we came out, that an Ashes series is bigger than any other. If you come here and do well, it can kick-start your career.

“I’ve had 12 months away from Test cricket, and I was disappointed with how my career started, but this is a great opportunity here to put it right, and get myself established in the Test side.”

There was no hesitation from him either when the first question posed on the outfield at the WACA, where England will play their opening two-day match this weekend, was the extent of the tourists’ ambition this winter.

“We’re here to win, that’s the bottom line,” he said.

“I hope I can play a part in us winning the Ashes.

“There’s going to be tough times – a bit of pace maybe – but nothing we haven’t dealt with before and that we can’t deal with.

“So we’re very confident with the group of guys we’ve got here that we can get a series win.”

England will almost certainly have to do so without Ben Stokes, still waiting back home to hear whether he will face charges as he remains under investigation by Avon & Somerset Police after being arrested last month on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.

Root’s men must get the better of Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, too – another task Vince is looking forward to.

“I wouldn’t say it’s daunting,” he said.

“It’s a great challenge, and I think this (whole) series is going to be challenging.”

He added: “But it is a great chance for guys to step up... and make a name for themselves.”