James Taylor’s straight bat can’t smother speculation over Peter Moores’ future
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Version 0 of 1. As Peter Moores was taking practice for possibly the final time as the England head coach, the stand-in one-day captain James Taylor was in front of the microphones insisting Friday’s international against Ireland in Dublin was important for all involved, not just one man. With Andrew Strauss having agreed to become England’s director of cricket, the attention has switched to Moores and whether his new superior sees him as the man to take the national side forward, having himself been set the dual target of winning the Ashes and the World Cup in 2019. Taylor leads a fledgling 50-over side in the absence of Eoin Morgan, who spent Thursday scoring a 28-ball 63 for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. Taylor said Moores remained his usual upbeat self, despite a 4,000-mile overnight trip from Barbados, via London. “It’s an important game for everybody, not just Peter Moores, and we must go out on the field and try to win it – no exception. I think he is in good spirits – he’s had a couple of cups of coffee so is as high as a kite. The whole team are right behind him and it’s up to individuals to put in a match-winning performance in the middle.” Despite Taylor’s assertion, John Bracewell, the incoming Ireland head coach, was more than happy to make light of his opposite number’s predicament. “England are going to be under the pump right from ball one this summer,” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t envy his task at all.” Taylor’s reference to Moores’ caffeine intake after such an arduous journey unintentionally drew some mirth, given Kevin Pietersen’s description of the former Lancashire coach as a “human triple espresso” in his autobiography last year. Strauss, who has previously offered a similar appraisal of Moores’ relentless energy levels during his first spell in charge, is expected to be announced in his new role early next week. The position was created by the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive, Tom Harrison, following the sacking of Paul Downton as the managing director last month. While the 38-year-old’s appointment is an open secret, given his absence from the Sky commentary team and the fact Moores and those players on the recent tour to the Caribbean have already been informed, Taylor said the news is yet to filter down to his level at Nottinghamshire. “If I am being brutally honest, I haven’t heard anything about this new director of cricket because I have had my head firmly in county cricket,” he said. “It’s kind of new to me. We are firmly concentrating on this game [against Ireland]. It’s a great opportunity all round, regardless if there is a new director of cricket coming in or not.” |