Moores backs himself

Peter Moores is confident his playing background bears no relevance © Getty Images

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Watch an exclusive video interview with Peter Moores on ECBtv - plus footage of his first press conference as England head coach

Peter Moores insists his lack of international experience will not prevent him getting the best out of the England players.

Moores, 44, was unveiled to the media on Wednesday after his appointment as England coach in place of Duncan Fletcher, who resigned last week.

While Moores has earned high praise from those he has worked with during his rise from Sussex coach to director of the England Academy, others point to the fact he never progressed beyond county level as a player.

But he is adamant it has never been a problem, and does not envisage it becoming one when he officially takes the reins on May 1.

“Having gone through the county system and dealing with these (international) players, I’ve never had a player turn round to me and say not playing international cricket has affected me as a coach,” Moores said.

“My job is the same as I’ve done before - and that is to help the players produce their best. It is the players that do the producing, not the coach.

“I’ve experienced county cricket but I’m going to be exposed to the challenges of international cricket over the next few months.”

Moores places equal emphasis on Test and one-day cricket

Part of Moores’ task in enabling the players to perform at their best is reinforcing their desire to represent and do well for England following a disappointing winter.

England lost the Ashes series in Australia 5-0 and exited the World Cup with only one win against a Test nation to their name.

“It’s been a tough winter but the key for me is we learn from those things and that we actually move forward,” Moores added.

“I will be passionate about winning and my role with the players is making sure they are passionate about winning.

“We’ll go out there and hopefully play with some passion, and we’ll try and win some games of cricket.”

England’s impressive Test form during Fletcher’s eight-year reign contrasted markedly with a failure to produce anything like their best one-day cricket on a regular basis.

But Moores claims he will be placing equal emphasis on both forms of the game, stressing: “They're both important and we’ll be working so we can be successful in both areas.

“We had a fantastic time in the Commonwealth Bank Series,” he added, referring to the one-day series triumph that came on the back of the Ashes.

“We beat Australia, who were the best side in the world at the time, so that shows what we’re capable of. The key is to try and get that out of the players on a consistent basis.”

By Justin Goulding