Moores sacked as England coach

England officials have fired head coach Peter Moores and appointed former captain Andrew Strauss as the country's new director of cricket in an overhaul of its ailing national team on Saturday.

A statement released by the ECB said the move followed private conversations between chief executive Tom Harrison and Strauss, whose appointment was confirmed half an hour before Moores' departure was announced.

Moores' sacking had been widely predicted after England failed to get out of the group stage in the Cricket World Cup and then drew 1-1 in a Test series in the West Indies.

England Assistant Coach Paul Farbrace will take charge of the team for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, while a full-time replacement is found.

Australia Test legends Jason Gillespie and Justin Langer are rumoured to be the favoured candidates to replace him.

Quick single: Gillespie, Langer touted for England role

Moores, who was in his second stint as England coach, said he was frustrated not to be given more time to build the England team.

“At the moment it’s difficult to put into words how I feel except to say how disappointed I am in the way my term as England Coach has ended," Moores said.

"I will walk away knowing I’ve given my all to the role and always put the team at the front of any decision making.

“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. 

"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."

Moores has now lost the job of England coach on two occasions, having initially been fired from the post in 2009 after a bust-up with then captain Kevin Pietersen.

His second spell in charge, which came after he replaced Andy Flower following the team's 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia in 2014, lasted barely a year.

It yielded just one series win, at home to India last year, and included England's embarrassing exit from the World Cup, where they failed to beat a single Test side.

Afterwards came the recent 1-1 series draw in the Caribbean against a West Indies side labelled "mediocre" by incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves.

Harrison described Moores as a "man of great integrity".

“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," Harrison said.

“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.”

England head coach contenders 

Jason Gillespie: The Yorkshire coach must be the front runner if an appointment is made in time for the start of the Ashes. Former Australia fast bowler Gillespie helped the White Rose to the county championship title last year, for the first time since 2001. The 40-year-old's talents will therefore be much admired by incoming England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Colin Graves, who has left Headingley to join the national governing body. Gillespie has described himself as "flattered" to be linked with the high-profile position. He recent signed up to coach the Adelaide Strikers in the KFC Big Bash League.

Justin Langer: A formidable Ashes opponent of England's as an opening batsman, Langer made a particularly favourable impression on new ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss in their time together at Middlesex. Langer is coach of the Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors in the Bupa Sheffield Shield and Perth Scorchers in the BBL. He hs led the Scorchers to back-to-back titles. The Australian may be his former county colleague's preferred choice, but perhaps is not ready at this stage of his life to up sticks again and travel back to the northern hemisphere for employment.

Tom Moody: The ex-Australia World Cup-winning all-rounder has been mentioned each time England have needed a new coach for much of the past decade. Moody is renowned for his nous at this level with Sri Lanka, and is currently in charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. He has also shone in roles as director of the Carribbean Premier League and as director of cricket at Melbourne Renegades in the BBL.

Paul Collingwood: England's triple Ashes-winning batsman served briefly as an assistant to then limited-overs coach Ashley Giles in the West Indies and then at the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh last year. Collingwood, captain of Durham, has also had World Cup coaching experience with Scotland in recent months. It is hard to see him stepping up to the role as national head coach yet, at 38, but he is the most plausible of any home-grown possibles.