Mark Ramprakash tips Alec Stewart as Chris Silverwood’s England successor

Mark Ramprakash believes Alec Stewart is a “strong candidate” to replace former England head coach Chris Silverwood.

Silverwood was dismissed on Thursday night by the England and Wales Cricket Board following a disastrous Ashes tour, which finished in a 4-0 defeat and occurred after a poor run of results in 2021 across the formats.

Sir Andrew Strauss, who is interim managing director of England men’s cricket after Ashley Giles stepped down on Wednesday, has been tasked with bringing in a caretaker head coach for next month’s red-ball tour of the West Indies.

Former England batting coach Ramprakash believes Surrey director of cricket Stewart should be at the front of the queue.

“I would have thought Alec Stewart must come into the frame. He is incredibly patriotic, so experienced and an excellent man-manager,” Ramprakash told Sky Sports News.

“Again, I would have thought he has the stature that when he thinks about a strategy and a vision for English cricket, people will sit up and listen.

“Alec Stewart has an excellent knowledge of county cricket, an excellent knowledge of the workings of county cricket and dealing with committees and boards.

“He is also an excellent man-manager. If he walks into a dressing room, be it a Test match or one-day game, all the players will listen to him. He commands the respect of all the players.

“I think he is an excellent candidate, I am not saying he will get the job, but I think someone with his credentials is a very strong candidate.”

Michael Atherton, who admitted the dismissal of Silverwood was “inevitable” on Thursday, told Sky Sports News: “They (ECB) expect Joe to continue.

“The pragmatic reality is there are fewer alternatives to Joe Root’s position than there are in terms of coaches or directors of cricket, where you can source those jobs from all over the world.

“Clearly the captain of England you can’t and there are limited alternatives to Joe Root.

“Joe was party to many of the decisions and strategy that has cost Ashley Giles and Chris Silverwood their jobs, but there are bluntly fewer alternatives to his job than the other two.”

Another former England captain, Michael Vaughan, called on the ECB to hire Justin Langer, who is set for crunch talks with Cricket Australia on Friday.

With his contract set to expire in June, there is a growing belief the 51-year-old will depart after being asked to reapply for his head coach role at Australia despite guiding them to Ashes and Twenty20 World Cup success this winter.

Vaughan wrote in The Telegraph: “I do not see any one else better suited than Langer to crack heads together and bring some tough management to a group of England players who have become too cosy recently.

“This England Test team needs some tough love. Joe Root needs a forceful coach next to him too.

“Gary Kirsten would be a great candidate as well but if you want one person to come in with a huge point to prove then it is Langer. He is an Ashes winner, T20 World Cup winner and knows everything about playing in Australia. Just go and get him.”