Peter Moores sacked, Andrew Strauss appointed director of England Cricket
As widely expected, Peter Moores has been sacked as England head coach after the national team’s failure in the recently concluded World Cup and the tied Test series in the Carribean. This is the second time he has been sacked after his previous stint a few years ago which also culminated in Kevin Pietersen losing his captaincy.
Also, former Test Captain Andrew Strauss has been appointed as the director of English Cricket and he will be leading the charge in appointing England’s new coach. For now, the assistant coach Paul Farbrace will take charge of the side for the Test series against New Zealand that begins on the 21st of this month. Former Australian cricketers Jason Gillespie and Justin Langer are the frontrunners for the top job.
"Peter is a man of great integrity and has offered a huge amount to England cricket," ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said. "He is admired by the players, his colleagues at the ECB and right across the game and deserves both our deep thanks and the widest recognition for his commitment and contribution. 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. 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 reaction:
"I believe time will show that I have been instrumental in the identification and development of a new group of England players who will go on and bring honour and success to the England badge. I am a passionate Englishman who believes in hard work and an investment in the right people will bring its rewards. My record in developing players stands for itself and though we have had some frustrations along the way I am confident that this team will go on and bring the success the supporters desperately want to see. I knew when I took on the role that this was going to be a tough period for English cricket and I would need time and support to get new players through. My frustration is not being given that time."