LONDON, CMC – Peter Moores has been sacked as England head coach in the wake of the team’s shock 1-1 draw with West Indies in the three-Test series which ended last Sunday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board announced yesterday that Moores would be leaving the post after only 13 months in charge, with assistant coach Paul Farbrace taking over the team as interim head coach for the pending New Zealand series.
Moores axing coincides with former captain Andrew Strauss’s appointment as Director of Cricket, a move that had been on the cards for some time.
“The last year has been a period of transition and rebuilding in which Peter has nurtured new talent, developed new players and laid the foundations for the new coaching structure to build on,” ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said.
“This decision has been made as we focus on the future and our need to build the right approach and deliver success over the next five years within a new performance structure.”
Moores’ position became tenuous following England’s disastrous showing at the recent ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand when they crashed out after the first round, losing four of their six preliminary round matches.
And the pressure intensified on Moores when England, ranked number three in the world, failed to thrash West Indies in the ensuring Test series.
They were held to a draw in the opening Test in Antigua, won the second in Grenada by nine wickets but suffered a shock five-wicket defeat in the final encounter at Kensington Oval.
Strauss, meanwhile, who led England to two Ashes victories, will be expected to chart a new way forward for the national side and also lead the recruitment of a new head coach.
“He was an exceptional England captain, is an authoritative voice on the modern game and has a wealth of experience building successful teams,” Harrison said.
“Andrew’s also widely respected across the sporting landscape. We’re delighted he’s joining us at the ECB as we set out to create a new strategy for the game.”
