Peter Moores (cricketer)

Playing career

Moores began his career at Worcestershire, where he made a name for himself as a young and talented wicket keeper. However, his opportunities were limited due to the consistency of David Humphries. He moved to Sussex in 1985, but again found his opportunities limited. Four years later he won his County Cap. In 1997 he was made Sussex captain and became part of the coaching set up. He retired in 1998 at the age of 36 in order to focus on his coaching career. Moores scored 7 first class centuries, and also hit 8 List A fifties. Throughout his career he achieved over 800 dismissals, 727 of these being catches.

Coaching career

After retiring, Moores became coach of Sussex. After two county championship titles, he moved onto the England job. Following a row with then captain Kevin Pietersen, Moores was sacked and took over at Lancashire. Moores was appointed England Coach for a second time in 2014. In May 2015, Moores was sacked as England coach.

Sussex Coach

Under the leadership of Moores, Sussex won the second division of the Championship in 2001. The ECB appointed him as coach on the England A tour in 2000-01. On their return to the top flight, Sussex narrowly avoided relegation in 2002. However, in 2003 they improved significantly and won the title, Sussex's first Championship title in their 164-year history. The following season was a disappointment for Sussex, as they finished 5th in the Championship and were unable to make an impact in the 50 overs format of the game, nor in the inaugural Twenty20 Competition. In 2005 he was appointed as Rod Marsh's successor as director of the ECB's academy, following Sussex's promotion to Division One in the Totesport League.

West Indies (2007)

Following the disastrous Ashes 2006/7 tour of Australia, and Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, Moores was appointed coach of the England cricket team in April 2007 after previous coach, Duncan Fletcher resigned.

Moores was bold in his selections, bringing in relatively unknown players Matt Prior, Ryan Sidebottom and Owais Shah for the West Indian tour of England. Moores dropped other players who played in the Ashes tour, Chris Read, Sajid Mahmood, Geraint Jones and Ashley Giles. Andrew Flintoff, who was captain of the tour was unable to play in the series due to injury. England's regular captain, Michael Vaughan was also injured for the first Test at Lord's, so opening batsman Andrew Strauss was named temporary captain. The first Test was a draw after heavy rain, and in the second Test at Headingley Moores looked for his first victory.

Following an injury to pace bowler Matthew Hoggard, Ryan Sidebottom was recalled to the international arena after a lengthy gap. After Vaughan, who was playing in his first Test match for 18 months scored a century, Sidebottom picked up 4 wickets as England bowled the West Indies out for 146 (though West Indian captain Ramnaresh Sarwan was injured, and did not bat.) Forcing the follow on, the West Indies made 141, meaning England won by an innings and 283 runs.

Sidebottom kept his place for the third Test at Old Trafford, which England won by 60 runs, but pace bowler Liam Plunkett was dropped in favour of the returning Hoggard for the fourth Test at Chester-le-Street, which England won by seven wickets, meaning England had won Moores' first series as coach 3-0. Following the fourth Test, ahead of Moores' announcement of the One Day International (ODI) squad, overall captain Vaughan resigned as One Day captain. Paul Collingwood of Durham was named as his successor. Moores named some surprising members in his squad, including Jonathan Trott and Dimitri Mascarenhas, who were both uncapped. Several established players were left out including wicket-keeper Paul Nixon, Jon Lewis, Michael Vaughan, Ed Joyce and Andrew Strauss.

England lost the first game of the limited overs part of the tour, a T20 International. Although England were unable to chase down a target of 208, they came close in reaching 193, an improvement on previous batting performances in this format of the game. In the second and final T20 game, England levelled the series after winning the game by 5 wickets, following a good display from Owais Shah.

England took the lead in the ODI series after an impressive bowling display saw the West Indies dismissed for just 146. England lost the second game after rain halted their progress on several occasions. They went on to lose the match by 61 runs. England lost the final match of the series convincingly after being bowled out for just 196 chasing 289 to win. Despite the series defeat Moores received praise for rejuvenating the side and getting the best out of Ryan Sidebottom and Owais Shah, who had been used sparingly by the previous regime.

India (2007)

Moores second series in charge saw him come up against India. For the Tests, Moores called up Chris Tremlett and handed him his debut in the First Test. England came close to winning the match but fell one wicket short of a convincing victory, with India hanging on to post 282/9 on the final day after England took a big lead in to the second innings following a hundred from Kevin Pietersen. Had it not been for the rain delaying play on day five, England would have almost certainly won the match. This was seen as further improvements being heralded under the regime of Moores.

The second test saw a less convincing performance from England, being bowled out for 198 in their first innings. To make matters worse, India made a huge 481 to put them in control of the test match. England batted bravely in the second innings, posting 355, but by then the damage had already been done and India required just 73 to win the match. They achieved this easily on the final day, meaning they had a 1-0 lead going into the final match. On the third and final test, India played for a draw, posting 664 in their first innings and showing little interest in declaring. After England were bowled out for 345 in response, India decided against enforcing the follow on. India finally declared on 180/6, setting England 500 to win. Batting admirably, England finished on 369/6. Hence the match ended in a draw, and India clinched the series 1-0. This marked Moores first defeat as Coach of England.

England were expected to lose the seven match ODI series against India, as they were regarded as the dominant team in that format of the game. However, England cruised to victory in the first match at The Rose Bowl, with a convincing victory of 104 runs. The result was largely down to a majestic innings of 126 from Ian Bell, which helped England on their way to 288/2, a total India never looked like getting. In the second match, India levelled the series,winning the match by 9 runs after posting 329. Although Bell again impressed, hitting 64, England fell just short. England retook the lead following the third match at Edgbaston. Bell again batted well, scoring 79 as England posted 281/8. Although India started well, they were bowled out for 239. England made it back to back wins after winning the fourth ODI, beating India by 3 wickets in a closely fought encounter. The victory gave England a 3-1 series lead and put them on course for a series victory.

India fought back at Headingley, winning a rain affected match on the DL Method. Things got worse for England in the following match at The Oval. Despite posting an impressive 316/6, led by a century from Owais Shah, a poor bowling performance, combined with an excellent innings of 94 from Sachin Tendulkar, saw India reach their target with just two balls to spare. This levelled the series at 3-3 with one game left to play. The final game saw England clinch a convincing victory after bowling India out for just 187. England never looked like losing, and reached their target in just 36.2 overs, finishing the match on 188/3. The victory saw England clinch the series 4-3, making amends for t he defeat they suffered in the test series.

Sri Lanka (2007)

The tour of Sri Lanka was Moores first tour overseas. The tour started with five ODI Internationals. Several new players were called up to the squad, including Phil Mustard and Graeme Swann. England were humbled in the first match, being bowled out for 150 chasing 270 to win the game. The following match saw the tables turned as England bowled Sri Lanka for out for 169 to win the game by 65 runs and level the series 1-1. Ryan Sidebottom, a player Moores had handed his debut to and integrated into the England squad, was the pick of the bowlers, with figures of 2-23. England then won the next match of the series which was badly affected by rain, resulting in the match being decided by the DL Method. The fourth ODI saw England complete a series win after winning the game by five wickets after chasing down 212 to win. Although England lost the final game by 107 runs after being bowled out for just 104, the 3-2 series win represented major progress for England, who had traditionally struggled on the sub-continent pitches. England had also gone into the series with a young team, including James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ravi Bopara, showing that Moores was successfully bringing through a new crop of England players.

The three match test series started poorly for England, as they lost the match by 88 runs. Despite England holding a first innings lead of almost a hundred, Sri Lanka posted 442/8 in the second innings, putting them on the front foot. England could only make 261 in their second innings, thus losing the match by 88 runs. In the second test Stuart Broad was given his debut. The pitch suited batsmen, with bowlers struggling to make an impact. England posted 351 in their first innings, only for Sri Lanka to make 548 in reply. The game ended in a draw with England finishing on 250/3. The second match was interrupted by rain, although Sri Lanka posted 499 in their first innings. England were dismissed for just 81 in reply, putting them in danger of losing the match. However, due to the rain, England survived, finishing on 251/6. England lost the series 2-1, meaning they had now lost their previous two test series.

New Zealand (2008)

England's tour of New Zealand]] started with two T20 Internationals. England won the first match by 32 runs following an impressive bowling performance from Ryan aside bottom. After posting 193 in the second T20, England won by 50 runs. This saw them win the series 2-0 and provided Moores with yet another limited over series victory, following successes against India and Sri Lanka. it also marked Moores first T20 victory, having lost his only previous match against the West Indies.

The first ODI saw England bowled out for just 130, which New Zealand easily chased down to win the match by six wickets. The second game saw England thrashed by ten wickets after being bowled out for just 158. England kept the series alive by winning the next game on the DL Method, following a good performance from Stuart Broad, a player who Moores had given his debut to and was now coming to rely on as a key player. The fourth match was the highlight of the series, with the match being tied after both teams reached 340 in their 50 overs. However, New Zealand went on to clinch the series 3-1 after winning a rain affected game by 34 runs on the DL Method.

England went into the three match test series under pressure after losing their previous two against India and Sri Lanka. The series got off to a poor start for England as they were beaten by 189 runs in the first test, despite a hat trick from Ryan Sidebottom. Another batting collapse contributed to England's defeat, with the team being bowled out for just 110 in their second innings. England redeemed themselves in the following match, winning by 126 runs. Tim Ambrose, who Moores had handed the wicket keeper spot to, helped to win the game after making a century. England won the final match of the series by 121 runs. England made 253 in their first innings before bowling New Zealand out for 168. England took control of the game, declaring on 467/7, putting them in control of the game. Although New Zealand reached 431, they still fell 131 runs short, giving England a 2-1 series win.

New Zealand travelled to England in the summer of 2008. There were few changes made to the England team who started the first test match. The match ended in a draw following rain, with the match evenly poised after England posted 319 in response to New Zealand's 277. New Zealand ended the match on 269/6. The second test saw England win by six wickets. Despite New Zealand having a lead of 179 going into the second innings, England bowled them out for 114 in their second innings before going on to reach 294/4. England again won the third and final test at Trent Bridge, this time putting in a complete performance. New Zealand were bowled out for 123 and 232, allowing England to win the game by an innings and 9 runs and winning the series 2-0. This made it back to back Test series wins against New Zealand, and the first time Moores had own back to back test series.

The one off T20 match saw England win by 9 wickets. Graeme Swann took figures of 2-21 as he continued to become an integral part of England's team, while Ian Bell helped guide England to victory after hitting an unbeaten 60. This marked England's third consecutive T20 win as Moores began to mould his first choice team.

England got off to a good start in the ODI series, winning the first match by 114 runs. Kevin Pietersen hit an unbeaten 110 while Paul Collingwood took figures of 4-15. England were lucky to avoid defeat in the second match. After being bowled out for 162, New Zealand reached 127/2 of 19 overs. However, they did not win as 20 overs were needed to constitute the game. Although England bowled New Zealand out for 182 in the third ODI, they could only manage 160, meaning New Zealand won by 22 runs and levelled the series 1-1. The fourth match was another close encounter, with New Zealand winning by just one wicket after hitting the winning runs off the final ball of the match. New Zealand won the final match by 51 runs, securing a 3-1 series win for them, the same scoreline when the two sides had met in New Zealand earlier in the year.

South Africa (2008)

Following the home series against New Zealand, England faced South Africa. The tour started with four Test Matches against the South Africa, with the opener being played at Lord's. England named the same starting eleven for the sixth straight test match, but we're unable to beat the tourists despite scoring over 500 in the first innings. After South Africa made 247, England enforced the follow on, only for South Africa to secure a draw untroubled, losing only three second innings wickets. The following Test saw England's first defeat in the longer format of the game in the summer, as South Africa convincingly won by 10 wickets. The third test saw England suffer another defeat, this time by 5 wickets. England trailed by 83 runs going into the final innings, and despite posting 363, South Africa won the game with five wickets in hand.

The defeat in the third test marked the end of Michael Vaughan's time as captain. Vaughan had been captain of the Test team before Moores had taken over, and his resignation left Moores with a decision to make about who succeeded him. Although it was Collingwood who had previously succeeded Vaughan as captain as the ODI Team, Kevin Pietersen was asked to step in as Captain for the final match of the series. Pietersen had been in good form with the bat and was seen by many as the obvious choice. England went on to win the final Test by 6 wickets, with Pietersen making a hundred on his first game as captain.

Ahead of the ODI series, Collingwood stood down as ODI captain, allowing Pietersen to take control of the team for all formats of the game. The only T20 International between South Africa and England was cancelled due to rain, and so Pietersen's reign as permanent captain began in the first ODI. England won the game by 20 runs, with Pietersen again impressing with an unbeaten 90. In the second ODI, England humiliated the tourists, bowling them out for 83 and winning the match by 10 wickets. England again cruised to victory in the third ODI, winning by 126 runs and taking an unassailable 3-0 series lead. The fourth ODI again went England's way, this time they won by 7 wickets thanks to the DL Method. Although the final game was called off, England had already won the series 4-0, the first time they had remained undefeated in an ODI series during the Moores era.

India (2008)

England headed over to India in 2008 for the final tour of the year. Optimism was high following the demolition of South Africa in the ODI series, as much was expected ahead of Kevin Pietersen's first full Test series as captain. The tour started with seven ODI's. England were heavily defeated in the first match, with India posting 387/5 in their 50 overs. England could only manage 229 and the result lead to criticism due to the manner of the defeat. England improved in the second match although they still lost by 54 runs, although this time they had restricted India to 292. England narrowly lost the third ODI, losing on the DL Method by 16 runs. England lost the fourth ODI on the DL Method again, this time by 19 runs. Both results were controversial as England looked to be in control in both games and would have probably gone on to win. However, England were now 4-0 down with just three games left to play, meaning they had lost the series. The fifth ODI, resulted in a six wicket defeat for England. After England had posted 270/4, India chased it down within 44 overs. The final two games of the series were cancelled following the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Despite the terror attacks, the Test series still went ahead, although the games were moved in terms of location. England lost the first match by 6 wickets despite taking a lead of 75 into the second innings. England then declared on 311/9, but India chased down the total thanks to a century from Sachin Tendulkar Andrew Strauss had scored centuries in both innings for England, while Paul Collingwood also made a hundred in the second innings. The second test resulted in a draw, the first match England had not lost on the tour. India posted 453 in the first innings, while England avoided the follow on making 302. In the second innings India declared on 251/7, but England saw out the draw, ending the match on 64/1. The result meant that India won the Test series 1-0.

Conflict with Kevin Pietersen and removal (2009)

In early 2009, following England's losses in both the Test and one-day matches in India, the media reported that English captain Kevin Pietersen had asked the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to hold emergency meetings to discuss Moores' role with the team. Days later, Pietersen commented to the media publicly regarding the dispute, eliciting speculation that Moores might soon be removed as coach. Moores and Pietersen were believed to be in disagreement on several issues, including the team's training regime, and the possible selection of former England captain Michael Vaughan for play in an upcoming tour of the West Indies. On 7 January 2009, Moores was removed as coach by the ECB, and Pietersen unexpectedly resigned as captain.

In June 2009, the furore having died down, Pietersen announced that the England dressing room was a far happier place for Moores's absence: "The team wasn't happy, things weren't right, and England cricket was going nowhere, but I believe in the last six months the team has made big progress before a huge, huge series against Australia. I'm very happy, and everyone's happy."

With the tension between the two seemingly unresolved, following England's victory over Australia in the 4th Ashes Test at Melbourne which saw England retain the Ashes for the first time since the 1986-87 Ashes, Pietersen claimed that without the removal of Moores, England would not have been in a position to beat Australia, claiming the change in regime brought about a better working climate within the squad. Pietersen went on to say: "You know what - I have never said this before - I lost the captaincy, I got rid of the captaincy for the good of English cricket, and we would not be here today if I had not done what I did then."

Lancashire coach

Following his dismissal as England coach, Moores accepted a job offer from Lancashire. He guided Lancashire to County Championship glory in 2011, the first time they had won the title outright since 1934. The title represented Moores third County Championship success. He also took Lancashire to the finals Day of the Twenty20 competition, although they lost at the semi final stage. 2012 represented a disappointing season for Lancashire, in which they were relegated into County Championship Division 2. However, the following season they were promoted after winning the second tier of the Championship, meaning Moores had achieved promotion with Sussex and Lancashire.

Return to England

After success as Lancashire coach, he was confirmed as the replacement of Andy Flower as head coach of England on 19 April 2014. Moores won his first game, an ODI against Scotland.

Sri Lanka (2014)

Following the Scotland game, Moores' first opposition was Sri Lanka. England narrowly lost the opening T20 match between the two sides in a high scoring match. England got off to a good start in the ODI series, winning a rain affected match after bowling out Sri Lanka for just 144. The next match saw England suffer a heavy defeat after they were bowled out for just 99. However, in the next game England bounced back, bowling Sri Lanka out for just 67 and winning the match by 10 wickets. They narrowly lost the fourth ODI by 7 runs, despite a quick fire century from Jos Buttler. England lost the final game of the series by six wickets to lose the series 3-2. However, England's performances had been well received and most pundits agreed that an improvement had been made following the disastrous tour of Australia. Moores' first test in charge ended in a draw, although England fell just one wicket short of winning the game. Stuart Broad took what he thought was the winning wicket with the penultimate ball of the match, only for the decision to be referred and overturned. The final match of the series was again a close affair, although this time it was Sri Lanka pressing for the win. Despite a century from Moeen Ali, England were bowled out in their second innings with the penultimate ball of the series, giving Sri Lanka a 1-0 series win.

India (2014)

Following the defeat to Sri Lanka, pressure was put on England to make changes ahead of the series with India. However, no changes were made and England secured a draw in the first Test. However, they lost the second Test and pressure was put on captain Alastair Cook and Moores. Both men stayed on, and England turned the series around. Moores handed wicketkeeper Jos Buttler a Test debut, and the team went on to win the third Test to level the series at 1-1. England then secured a comfortable victory in the fourth Test to go 2-1 up, with Ian Bell and Alistair Cook returning to form. In the final match of the Test series, England again won to win the series 3-1 and hand Moores his first series win since returning to England. The ODI series was less successful. Moored handed a debut to Alex Hales, although England went on to lose the first three matches of the series. Moores again stood by captain Alistair Cook, and England went on to win the final match of the series. They also won the only T20 match between the two sides to end the series on a high.

Build up to World Cup (2014–15)

England travelled to Sri Lanka for a seven match ODI series. They lost the first two matches to go 2-0 down in the series, but won the third match. After losing the next match, England again won to keep the series alive at 3-2. However, they were comprehensively beaten in the final two matches of the series which led to questions being asked again of Alistair Cook. Throughout the tour Moores had remained loyal to Cook, but after the final game he hinted that there may be changes. Cook was later removed as ODI captain, with Eoin Morgan taking over.

The tri-series against India and Australia marked Morgan's first series as skipper. Morgan hit a century in the opening match, although England were beaten by Australia. England improved in the following match against India, securing a comfortable win. However, they again suffered defeat to Australia meaning that they had to beat India in the final game to qualify for the final. They did so, but again suffered defeat to Australia when they met in the final. Despite finishing as runners up, an assistant coach thought that England had improved and were now in a stronger position ahead of the World Cup.

World Cup (2015)

England's World Cup campaign got off to a poor start as they suffered a 111 runs defeat at the hands of Australia. They suffered another humiliating defeat in their next match as lost to New Zealand by eight wickets. England relieved the pressure on them by securing a comfortable win against Scotland, but another heavy defeat, this time nine wickets against Sri Lanka, meant that England had to win their final two games to qualify. Defeat against Bangladesh ended any hopes of qualification, which led to suggestions that Moores could be replaced as England coach. However, he was backed by Paul Downton to rebuild the side, with Moores himself saying he was committed to the job. England won their final match against Afghanistan by nine wickets.

Moores was removed from the England coaching post in 2015, after an ODI against Ireland.

West Indies (2015)

Moores remained in charge of England for their tour of West Indies despite the resignation of the man who appointed him, Paul Downton. In the first match of the series, England got off to a good start, posting 399 in the first innings and then bowling the West Indies out for 295. However, they were unable to force a result and the match ended in a draw, with the West Indies saving the match. England won the second match of the series following a good batting display in the first innings. They bowled the West Indies out for 307 in the second innings, and then won the game by nine wickets thanks to contributions from Alistair Cook and Gary Ballance. Despite this, England lost the final match of the series after setting the West Indies a small target to chase in their second innings after an England batting collapse. The West Indies won the match by five wickets to draw the series 1-1.

Restructuring and Sacking (2015)

After the series Moores played down talk for the need of an enquiry, but rumours persisted that Moores' job was in danger. Moores remained in charge for the ODI match against Ireland, which was abandoned due to rain. After Andrew Strauss was appointed Director of Cricket, Moores was sacked as England coach and replaced by his assistant, Paul Farbrace. The ECB was heavily criticised for its treatment of Moores, with many players later coming out and saying they had enjoyed working with him.

Other cricket work

On 18 January 2008 David Graveney was removed as the head national selector. Geoff Miller took the position over, heading up a four-man panel which included Moores, James Whitaker and Ashley Giles. Moores is a member of Marylebone Cricket Club.