Moores appeals for more time

Peter Moores has asked for time to continue his rebuilding job with England as his future becomes the subject of increased speculation with some commentators suggesting he could be sacked within days.

Moores feels that, despite a defeat in Barbados that held England to a drawn Test series in the Caribbean, his young side are progressing and hopes to be given the chance to take them into the Ashes series before any firm decisions are taken over his record as coach.

"We've got an exciting group of players," Moores said. "I want to be involved with this group going forward as I think I can help them get better.

"I think we're moving the right way. I think this has been a really good trip in many ways. Watching us develop, the way people are learning what is required to be successful at international cricket and feeling a bit more relaxed with an England shirt on, that has been good. I feel we've moved forward.

"We'll get a better judge in the summer because New Zealand and Australia are very tough sides who are slightly more mature. That will be the time to assess how strong we are.

"We look at ourselves internally and think 'we're moving in the right way.' But we're frustrated that we didn't come away with a 2-0 series win."

"Frustration" is a word that crops up often in conversation with Moores at present. Frustration that the progress he sees within his team has not been reflected in results. Frustration that his reputation and his reality are poles apart. And frustration that his existence as England coach appears permanently to be on the edge of a precipice.

Today at least, he is particularly frustrated by the much-repeated assumption that he is "obsessed" with data and statistical analysis. It stems, in part, to a mis-heard line in a radio interview during the World Cup.

Indeed, as ESPNcricinfo reported at the time, England's analyst during the World Cup was so frustrated by the lack of use of his "data" that he considered going home early.

"I get frustrated when people say things about me that aren't true," Moores said. "When people talk about laptops.... it couldn't be further from the truth.

"It's not fact and it's not right. It's not how I operate as a coach. If you ask any player I deal with, they'll tell you that. A coach's CV is his players. If the players think you can coach, you can coach. If the players think you can't, then you can't.

"I know I'm a good developer of players. My record is good at developing players; certainly younger players as they've come through. And I think we're seeing players develop.

There are legitimate areas of criticism of Moores. England's World Cup performance - or lack of it - was particularly damaging and Moores, who altered the team plans on the eve of the tournament, was partially culpable.

But England's record in Test cricket - four wins and a defeat in the last six games - is less bad and Moores feels the signs are there to suggest results will improve.

"Of course results count," he said. "But the emergence of teams and players - and I've built teams at Sussex and Lancashire, I've been through this three or four times at county and international level - is never a straightforward curve. It goes up and down. You invest in people you feel can go on and become special players."

The question for the ECB management is whether they feel Moores is worthy of further investment. The fact that he has heard nothing from them in recent days - he is, in his words, "out of the loop" - suggests equivocal support at best.

While Moores suggests he still "loves" coaching, the constant criticism, especially from ex-players who have chosen a career in media rather than coaching, the lack of support from the ECB and the ever-present threat of the axe must leave him feeling more like a pinyata than a coach at times.

He smiled at the reminder that Colin Graves threatened there would be "some enquiries" if England failed to win the series. "It feels like it has been an inquiry for the last 12 months," he said, suggesting he cannot let such issues cloud his thinking.

"I can't view it like that. It's not my choice. It's not within my control. What is important to me is to totally commit to my job; to try to help players develop.

"Of course there's going to be impatience. Everyone wants to win. English cricket is in the spotlight and I totally get that. We are coming out of an era where we have been very dominant and then in Australia we fell off the edge of a cliff and we lost some players.

"But I don't want people to forget we have won four out of the last six Test matches. We have won overseas and we have made some mistakes. But as a group we are confident we can play competitive cricket. We know we are getting better. Coaches always want time. But it helps having a bit of stability around the team as well."

For all the money, facilities and support staff, however, stability and time seem to the scarcest resources in English cricket.