Paul Collingwood was appointed interim England head coach after the sacking of Chris Silverwood following the Ashes’ 4-0 defeat last month; the former England batsman will lead the team on their three-Test tour of the West Indies in March
Paul Collingwood “will never say never” at the prospect of becoming England’s full-time head coach after being given the job on an interim basis for the West Indies tour.
Collingwood was named as the temporary replacement for head coach Chris Silverwood, who was one of the senior staff to be sacked following the Ashes’ dismal 4-0 loss in Australia this winter.
The former England batsman also came on for Silverwood during the T20 series in the Caribbean last month and Sir Andrew Strauss, interim managing director of England men’s cricket, said Collingwood is the right person to start the “red ball reset”. .
While Collingwood remains focused on the three Test series against the West Indies, he remains very open to any opportunity that comes his way.
“Look, I would never say never, but my main focus right now is the next four weeks,” Collingwood said. sky sports. “If we do it right, hopefully we’ll be able to put on performances in the park and we’ll be able to rebuild.
“Playing for England is something really special, to have the Three Lions on your shirt. Sometimes you probably don’t realize that when you’re playing for England, but (you do) when you finish playing and look back on your career. .
“It’s an amazing job. Being a coach and trying to help these guys get to where they need to be feels special too.”
“So I would never say never, but I’m just concentrating on these next four weeks.”
Collingwood appreciates that he still has a lot to learn, but feels he can bring something to the role, even if it turns out to be only short-term.
“I’ve had a little bit of experience in the last two years taking over on an interim basis, and I’ve obviously done the T20s recently.
“I don’t have the experience behind us. I haven’t done County Cricket or anything like that, but I certainly have the passion to try and make a difference. I try to bring people together, build teams, build relationships.” .
“The word unity keeps coming back and ensuring that when you go out in that park, we’re all driving in one direction and that’s key for these next three Test matches.”
