Paul Collingwood named Interim Head Coach for West Indies Test series

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have confirmed that assistant coach of the Men’s Cricket Team Paul Collingwood has been appointed Interim Head Coach for the three-Test series against West Indies that will commence on March 8th. Collingwood, notably, was in charge of the T20I side that lost 2-3 to the Windies last month.

"I am genuinely excited to be leading the Test team for the tour of the Caribbean. I can't wait to get started,” ECB quoted Collingwood as saying.

"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. 

"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."

 Heads rolled last week, with all of Chris Silverwood, Ashley Giles and Graham Thorpe losing their jobs. Alec Stewart was initially rumored to take over as the interim coach, but the ECB have now opted to hand the job to Collingwood, who has been in the set-up for multiple years.