Giles undeterred despite shame of Dutch defeat
ENGLAND limited-overs boss Ashley Giles insists he is still the right man to succeed Andy Flower as Test coach despite yesterday’s humiliating thrashing by Holland at the World Twenty20.
A miserable five months that included an Ashes whitewash reached perhaps its lowest point with a 45-run defeat in Bangladesh, the Dutch part-timers skittling England for a paltry 88.
Former England captains condemned the display, Michael Atherton calling it “an unacceptable performance”, while Michael Vaughan urged chiefs to overlook Giles for the top job.
But the former Warwickshire coach insisted he still had faith in his ability to lead England in all three forms, despite admitting his shame at a dismal end to the tournament.
“I believed I was [the right man] 24 hours ago, and I’m not sure that one performance has changed my mind,” said Giles. “You get bad days at the office, and this is a really bad one. But I still believe I can do the job for England.”
Giles is set to be interviewed for the role by the England and Wales Cricket Board this month, but Vaughan urged them to redouble attempts to lure former South Africa coach Gary Kirsten.
“Go and offer Gary Kirsten an offer he can’t refuse,” Vaughan wrote on Twitter. “Collective shambles from English cricket for the last few months. But it’s the players who have to hold their hands up.”
Atherton added: “Of course England should chase down 133. It’s an unacceptable performance from them. This is a team that is totally shot of confidence.”
England – whose semi-final hopes perished with Saturday’s defeat to South Africa – allowed Holland to race to 84-1 before restricting them to a total of 133-5, captain Stuart Broad claiming three wickets.
Ravi Bopara’s 18 was the closest the response came to a highlight, as just three England batsmen reached double figures in a feeble innings that limped to a close with 16 balls to spare.