Relieved Andy Moles takes break from cricket

A couple of weeks after quitting the New Zealand coaching post, Andy Moles has said he wants to take a few months' break to rekindle his enthusiasm for cricket. Moles walked away from the New Zealand job less than a year into his tenure, and just days after media reports suggested players were unhappy with the amount of technical and tactical support provided by him.

His exit came following a review of the team's performance in recent months, and mediation talks with Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket. "I'm glad it's all over," Moles told the Waikato Times. "It was a very stressful 10 days. My phone didn't stop ringing for three or four days after, but once I came to terms with where I was going in my own mind it was a weight off my shoulders."

Moles said he had "fallen out of love with the game a little bit" after the episode. "I've been contacted by guys in England there may be things coming up there in the future," he said. "But firstly I'm taking three to six months off from the game."

New Zealand had exceeded expectations by reaching the finals of the Champions Trophy, but that came on the back of a poor tour of Sri Lanka. The team had also not won any of seven Tests under Moles' charge, but he said results would have improved with time.

"I think I brought quality to one or two players, helped them and made players better off in the short term that I've been involved - the statistics show that," he said. "I told them [when I started] it would be three years. The biggest thing, the magic ingredient, is patience."

New Zealand have not named a replacement for Moles, and may not do so until next year. The team is currently in the UAE, taking on Pakistan in a series of limited-overs matches.