Ashley Giles has been named the new managing director of English men’s cricket. The former left-arm spinner, who will leave his post as sports director at Warwickshire County Cricket Club, will replace Andrew Strauss, who stepped down from the role in October to support his wife during her treatment for cancer. Giles will officially start in his role from January, ahead of England’s tour of the Caribbean.
While there were candidates from a variety of different backgrounds, with varying degrees of administrative experience, the 45-year-old ticked a number of boxes. As an international cricketer, he earned 54 Test caps and 62 in one-day internationals, taking 143 and 55 wickets, respectively.
As coach, he enjoyed success with Warwickshire when he marshalled them to the 2012 County Championship. A stint as England’s one-day coach followed, but an unsuccessful 2013 Champions Trophy run – England reached the final, before losing to India – was followed by a chastening 2013/14 winter in Australia which saw him lose his job as then director of cricket Paul Downton looked to clean house after coming in at the start of 2014.
Lancashire were there to pick up the pieces and, after securing both promotion and the T20 Blast in the 2015 summer, Warwickshire came calling once more at the end of 2016. Though his second spell at the Midlands club saw them relegated from Division One, they bounced back immediately last season, securing promotion as Division Two champions in the first attempt.
Giles has also acted as a selector between 2008 and 2014, and was invited by the ECB to apply for the role of full-time national selector. He spurned their advances then, with Ed Smith getting the gig, but will now not only be involved with the immediacy of matters such as selection, but will also oversee longer-term matters around English cricket.
“We were fortunate throughout this process to interview some of the most talented and respected people in the game,” stated Tom Harrison, ECB chief executive officer.
“Ashley was the standout candidate amongst a very strong field. He will bring a fresh perspective to the role and build on the excellent work carried out by Andrew Strauss over the past three and a half years. He has a tremendous passion for England cricket, extensive knowledge of our county game, and a wealth of experience from playing at the highest level to becoming a respected leader in the sport.”
The coming 2019 summer features a World Cup which Eoin Morgan’s men need to win after three years of ODI dominance, and an Ashes series against an Australia side in a state of enforced flux. It will also be the last duties of head coach Trevor Bayliss and possibly Paul Farbrace. The former will depart when his contract expires at the end of next season and the latter expected to do the same.
Giles will also be heavily involved in the implementation of the new competition, otherwise known as The Hundred, while also looking to balance the books after cuts were made to a number of departments at the ECB this year, including various men’s pathway schemes. It is an unenviable task.
Of the candidates encouraged to apply for the director of cricket role, Giles is in the middle of the Venn diagram between the international experience of Michael Atherton and Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart – both headhunted by the ECB before spurning those advances – and former Leicestershire chief executive Wasim Khan, who has instead joined the Pakistan Cricket Board as managing director.
On his appointment, Giles said: “I am very grateful for the opportunity and excited about working with some talented people. The legacy left by Andrew Strauss has put the performance programme in a stable place. It is fundamental that I facilitate the great work currently being carried out, meet our objectives and help our sport achieve great things in the coming years both domestically and internationally.
“I believe it is important for the game to have a strong international setup, which is showing great promise in what will be a significant year for our red and white ball teams leading into the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup this summer and The Ashes. The next 12 months could transform the game like no other time in recent memory.”
The man affectionally known as “The King of Spain” thanks to a factory mishap around celebratory mugs is seen as an ideal candidate to make a top-to-bottom impact at the ECB. Throughout his many roles as a player, coach and administrator, he has not lost his personability or shirked responsibility. Those qualities will be vital as English cricket enters a period of great uncertainty that will require stern yet empathetic leadership.
