Moody admits England job 'interested' him

Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach who was tipped by many to be the favourite to succeed Duncan Fletcher, has admitted he would have been interested in the role had the ECB approached him.

Fletcher resigned from his post after eight years in charge of England and a mere 24 hours later was replaced by Peter Moores, director of the National Academy and the former Sussex coach. The speed with which Fletcher was replaced won the ECB praise from some camps but raised criticism from others who were wary of the hastiness, questioning why the job wasn't properly advertised.

"I am sure a number of international coaches would have been interested, but England decided to move quickly," Moody told the BBC. "The England job is one of the few big jobs in cricket.

"I was never contacted by England, but I was not exactly sitting by the phone waiting for a call. My focus was always on Sri Lanka during the World Cup," he said. "It was important to stay professional for them - my future had nothing to do with this tournament."

It was the second time Moores and Moody have challenged eachother for the same coaching position after the pair were both short-listed for the role of Academy director two years ago.

"England have decided to move quickly and efficiently," Moody said. "They've got a very good man in power now in Moores, I've got a lot of respect for him and I am sure he will do a very good job."

Moores takes up his role on May 1 with the first Test against the West Indies beginning at Lord's on May 17.