Moores eyes bright future after Jimmy throws him lifeline
ENGLAND need only look back to what happened when they were warming up for this series with a low-key game i n st Kitts to appreciate the importance of the unexpected J i mmy Anderson-inspired victory in the second Test.
As four days of practice fizzled out, news came through that Paul Downton had been sacked as england’s managing director and suddenly the pressure on Alastair Cook and Peter Moores to deliver here had been cranked up a notch.
Colin graves, the new ECB chairman, had already made it clear what he expected in this three-Test series by saying there would be an inquiry if england did not beat a ‘mediocre’ West indies.
so the brilliant way Anderson burst through the home team’s stubborn defence and the enterprising way Cook and gary Ballance knocked off what could have been a tricky target of 143 was priceless for england.
not least for Moores, who endured a terrible World Cup and who, as Downton’s appointment, must have been fearing the itchy trigger fingers of graves and new chief executive Tom Harrison more than most. ‘it is a great release,’ admitted Moores the morning after a memorable day at st george’s national stadium.
‘it was a great win and a great feeling. We came back to the hotel and there were a lot of fans there. You could feel the euphoria of the win, particularly as it wasn’t expected by many going into the last day.
‘The excitement now is that we’ve got another big Test coming up and a chance to win this series 2-0.’
That would be a result to keep the wolves from Moores’s door a little longer. He has now seen england win four and draw the other of their last five Tests, in stark contrast to the humiliation of then World Cup.
The quest for a better oneday future will start just three days after the final Test here when a young england 50-over side, almost certainly led by James Taylor, will face ireland i n Dublin. The Test team, meanwhile, are in much better shape even if they are going to face greater examinations when they go on to play new Zealand, Australia, Pakistan and south Africa in the coming months.
There is great promise in this Test team, epitomised by the batting achievements of Joe root and Ballance, comple- mented by the experience of Anderson, Cook, ian Bell and stuart Broad.
The challenge for Moores is to convince the new regime at Lord’s he is the man to ensure that potential is realised and maybe even justify Downton’s claim that he is the best coach of his generation.
‘We’re trying to build a team and we’ve got a real chance of becoming a very successful Test side,’ saidd Moores, speaking confidently and fluently for a man often portrayed as obsessed with coach-speak and data.
‘i want everyone to really enjoy this win but then straight away look at where we can take it, where we can play better.
‘ This win gives everyone confidence but we still could have played better. We talk about playing bold cricket and it helps when you win because it gives you something back.’
The need for england to repeat their first Test win in the Caribbean for 11 years in Barbados on Friday means there will be no rotating or experimenting now, even with 15 more Tests ahead in the next nine months.
That means, with Moores expressing confidence in opening batsman Jonathan Trott, england will probably be unchanged for a Test where futures could be on the line.
‘ To play well and win in Barbados would mean we go into the summer winning five out of our last six Tests and that would be a great place to be,’ said Moores. ‘This is a big series because we’ve had a tough winter, so we have to try to get people thinking positively about english cricket again. We’ve got a big summer ahead and we need to feel we’re in good shape.’ Moores hailed the ‘worldclass’ bowling of Anderson, who took three wickets with the new ball on the final morning: ‘That was Jimmy at his best and sometimes on a pitch like that you need a world- class performer to open things up. He found something inside him that took him to another level. He was like a youngster again.’
The evergreen Anderson delivered just when england needed it most.
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