England players rallied to the support of Peter Moores on Friday as reports emerged that the under-fire coach is on the verge of being sacked for the second time.
James Taylor, who skippered England in Friday’s washed-out one-day international (ODI) against Ireland in Malahide, and Mark Wood, one of five debutants in the team, were not in a position to confirm Moores’ fate.
However, just days before Andrew Strauss is expected to be appointed as the new director of cricket at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), they certainly gave him a ringing recommendation.
Photo: Reuters
“He is really positive, keeps it simple and although I’ve limited experience of him in the England camp, he has always been helpful and positive and that’s all I could ask of him,” Taylor said.
“He gave me my chance in the West Indies, so I’m thankful for that. He’s been brilliant with me and has always been positive,” Wood said.
If Strauss does take over and Moores is removed from his post, it would mean the coach’s second spell in charge would have lasted barely a year since he was brought back last year following England’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia, which led Andy Flower to step down as coach. Moores’ second spell — he was initially dismissed in 2009 after a falling out with then-captain Kevin Pietersen — has so far yielded just one series win, at home to India last year, and included England’s embarrassing exit from the World Cup, where they failed to beat a single Test nation, and a disappointing 1-1 series draw in the West Indies. Friday’s one-off game was abandoned after just 18 overs due to torrential rain.
Fenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Forest entered the second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead from the opener in Istanbul — where Vitor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge — and that proved enough to advance to the round-of-16 with a 4-2 aggregate score. The result was a boost for Forest, struggling at 17th place in the Premier League, in their return to Europe after three decades. They next face Real Betis Balompie or Kerem Akturkoglu gave Fenerbahce
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
RSS