Moores settles into Lancashire life

Former England coach Peter Moores cuts a relaxed figure in his new role at Lancashire

Peter Moores will always be grateful to Lancashire for the timing of the approach which helped him begin the next chapter in his coaching career.

Moores, 46, left his post as England coach in early January following a breakdown in his relationship with Kevin Pietersen, but was only out of work for a matter of hours before Mike Watkinson - director of cricket at Old Trafford - was in touch.

By the second week of February, Lancashire were ready to announce former Sussex man Moores as their new coach.

With the first-class summer just days away, Moores has reflected on how the call was perfectly timed.

“I’m a bit of a fatalist; it came along at the perfect time in some ways for me," said Moores at the club's pre-season media day.

"If someone asked me in December if I thought I'd be Lancashire coach now you'd never have guessed that.

"Mike phoned me up and asked if I'd be interested, when I was still reeling a bit.

"But as I went through the interview process, I knew it was a great club, having played against them and been brought up around here.

"The chance to be involved with moulding some success here was very exciting."

Having spent less than two years at the helm in international cricket, Moores has taken on one of the domestic game's biggest challenges: delivering silverware to the under-achieving Red Rose county.

It is 75 years since Lancashire won the county championship title outright, despite being perennial favourites for the crown.

Moores and Mike Watkinson, director of cricket at Old Trafford, contemplate the summer ahead

But that challenge has ensured Moores has had little time to dwell on his personal disappointment.

"All my experiences are about reflecting," said Moores. "That's how you get better.

"I certainly look back on things I might have done differently, but I have no regrets at all about it.

"It didn't make me think 'Oh, we've done that fundamentally wrong'. I know I gave it everything I'd got and committed fully to it.

"It didn't work, okay, because of a certain set of circumstances - and that's life."

So instead of preparing for an Ashes summer, Moores is still getting to know players he first mixed with weeks ago.

"It's like most things when you lose a job like that," he added. "At the time it hurts, but I've moved on pretty quickly and have to look forward.

"When you work with a new group of players and see their passion you aren't looking back any more. You only look one way, and that's forward.

"Expectation here is no different than any other county. The goalposts have moved now, and you have to win to keep your membership happy.

"Our best chance of winning is not concentrating on the winning, but on doing things well and making sure every time a Lancashire team goes out they are alive and up for it."

The Lancashire squad pose for photographs in front of the pavilion on the pre-season media day