Moores, an enigmatic choice

Andy Bull, in the Guardian, analyses the pros and cons of Peter Moores' appointment as England coach. On the one hand, England slumped from No. 2 to No. 5 in his tenure and on the other hand, he led Lancashire to their first County Championship in 77 years.

Downton says that in the five years Moores has been working at Lancashire, he has accumulated "a great deal more experience and understanding of the challenges that the role presents", and it is true that the fact he has tried, and failed, once before will give him a rare opportunity to put right what he got wrong.

In his book, Driving Ambition, Andrew Strauss wrote that the biggest mistake Moores made was failing to realise that "international cricket differs from county cricket in the sense that the players need far less pushing and prodding … Every time they go out there to play, they are playing for their careers. They are bound to be up for it. What is required at the highest level is a coach who is able to calm players down."