Former skippers slam Moores sacking

Former England captains and players have criticised the England and Wales Cricket Board for its handling of Peter Moores' sacking.

The ECB announced Moores’ departure overnight after 14 months in charge while also confirming Andrew Strauss would take on the new director of cricket role, but news of the sacking had leaked the previous day during England's washed out one-day international with Ireland in Dublin.

Quick single: Moores sacked as England coach

Former skipper Michael Vaughan described the manner of Moores’ removal as "disgraceful".

"I am not the biggest fan of Peter Moores as a coach but I like him as a person and the only word I can use for the way his sacking was handled is disgraceful," wrote Vaughan in his Daily Telegraph column.

"It is not the first time this has happened. News broke of Alastair Cook's sacking as one-day captain before he knew about it and now the same has happened with Peter.

"It is a poor way to treat two men who have given everything to English cricket."

Another former England skipper, Alec Stewart, said the ECB should “hang their heads in shame”.

"The fact that all these leaks came out the day before the man was officially told - you've got to show a bit of respect to employees,” Stewart told the BBC.

"They've either got someone lined up already, to have made this decision, or they're going to have to find someone pretty quick."

Former players Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen were also critical of the move on social media.

Flintoff tweeted Moores was a "great man" who "deserves better".

"His agenda is England winning, he needs the players to hold up their end too," Flintoff wrote on Twitter. 

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott questioned the timing of the sacking on Twitter, adding Moores was "a nice man" but "out of his depth at international cricket".

Fast bowler Stuart Broad described the sacking as “sad”.

“It’s very sad news that Peter has left,” Broad wrote in the Daily Mail.

“He is a good man and we all feel we made progress under him.

“He trusted players and wasn’t too prescriptive and when we left Barbados it felt very much as if the players and staff were on the same page even if the last Test result did not go our way.

“Having said that, the news that Strauss will fill the vacant director of cricket role is excellent.

“It’s a very shrewd move. I’ve heard people say he is too close to players in the dressing room who he played alongside and captained but I think that’s a load of nonsense.”

Moores expressed his frustration after the sacking at not being 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 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 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.

Image Id: ~/media/29F813339C964B77BF9B0BBC7277C813Moores in Dublin on Friday // Getty Images

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

ECB chief executive Tom 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.