Strauss in, Moores out as ECB’s door continues revolving
Published:
How long do new eras last? Less than a year after the Ashes drubbing Down Under that sent senior players and coaches out of the England side for good, their replacements are also dropping by the wayside.
Peter Moores was axed as head coach for the second time in six years yesterday, as a new-look ECB board continued to ring the changes throughout the set up, in what is becoming an increasingly laughable period for English cricket.
Half an hour prior to the press release confirming Moores’ departure, the PR bods at Lord’s had been hard at work penning another statement announcing Andrew Strauss’ hiring in the newly created Director of Cricket role.
Strauss, who directly replaces Paul Downton despite the alteration of his job title, will now be responsible for finding a new head coach, with Moores’ assistant Paul Farbrace acting in a football-style caretaker capacity for the upcoming series with New Zealand.
The Black Caps have to be viewed as favourites to pile yet more misery on England now, with a lack of clear leadership from a coaching point of view clearly disturbing Alastair Cook’s preparations for both that series and the Ashes later in the summer.
England’s continued willingness to rock the boat so close to major cricketing events is bewildering. Cook’s own one-day sacking came months before the side embarked on a World Cup campaign, which contributed greatly to the side’s rudderless performances in the tournament.
Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie is the clear favourite to succeed Moores, although no talks have been held by the former Australian seamer and the ECB according to reports.
Beyond Gillespie, who has been steadfastly committed to the Headingley county in the past, another Australian, Justin Langer, is tipped to be in the head-coach frame.
Actual Englishman with the credentials to fill the role are few and far between. Mick Newell is already a national selector, while Ashley Giles is the new Lancashire coach after himself being discarded by England in the past 12 months.
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