Ashley Giles steps down as Managing Director of England cricket
In a major development, Ashely Giles has stepped down as Managing Director of England men's cricket. The 48-year-old announced the same following ECB's board meeting where the team's Ashes performance was reviewed. England lost the Ashes 0-4 Down Under in January. While Andrew Strauss will replace Giles on an interim basis, the board continues to find the latter's full-time replacement.
Why does it matter?
The announcement comes in the aftermath of England's 0-4 Ashes loss in Australia. England are yet to win a singles Test Down Under since the 2010/11 series. They lost at the Gabba, Adelaide Oval, Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and Bellerive Oval besides drawing at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). England suffered nine Test defeats in 2021, the joint-most in a calendar year.
Grateful to Giles: ECB CEO Tom Harrison
"I'm extremely grateful to Ashley for his commitment to England cricket over the last three years," ECB CEO Tom Harrison said. "He has made a huge contribution to the ECB and England Men's cricket. Off the back of a disappointing men's Ashes this winter we must ensure we put in place the conditions across our game to enable our Test team to succeed."
Giles talks about the challenges
Giles succeeded Strauss to become the Managing Director in 2018. He asserted the COVID-19 pandemic posed several challenges in the last two years. "The past couple of years have been incredibly challenging and I'm proud of what we've been able to deliver in the toughest of circumstances. This has undoubtedly protected the future of the game in England and Wales," added Giles.
A look at Gile's achievements
In Giles' tenure, England became the world champions in 50-over cricket. They won the World Cup in 2019 after defeating New Zealand in what turned out to be an enthralling final at Lord's. Later on, England also became the top-ranked T20I side in the world. Now, England have reached the Under-19 World Cup final for the first time in 24 years.
Giles is England's former off-spinner
Giles is a former England cricketer who bowled off-spin (left arm). He represented the side from 1997 to 2006 in Test and ODI cricket. Giles took 143 wickets from 54 Tests with the best match haul of 9/122. The tally includes 11 four-wicket hauls and 5 five-fors. Giles also accounted for 55 wickets in 62 ODIs with an economy of 4.34.
