Former England coach Peter Moores hits back at 'data' criticism

Peter Moores believes his ill-fated second stint in charge of England was tainted by a misconception of him as a statistics-driven coach.

Moores was sacked in May after just over a year at the helm, having also been dismissed by the England and Wales Cricket Board during his first spell in charge six years ago.

Moores enjoyed some positive times following his reappointment last April, notably a 3-1 Test series win over India, but his fate was sealed by a dismal showing at the World Cup.

Moores has kept admirably quiet about the nuts and bolts of his ousting, even though the news was circulating widely in the press before he was officially informed, but he is unable to hold his tongue when faced with his image as a coach who was dependent on statistics.

When England's World Cup exit was sealed with a loss to Bangladesh he was reported as saying he would need to look at "data" to determine why.

He did use the word when speaking to Sky Sports, but in another regularly-quoted interview he actually said "later" and the 52-year-old believes that misrepresentation of his methods played a role in his departure.

"I have to accept my time as England coach has gone," Moores told ESPNcricinfo. "It's pretty hard to accept. But it's done. The umpire's finger is up.

"But I am frustrated. The portrayal of me as a coach in the media is just wrong. If people said 'I don't rate you as a coach' then fine. But when it's not what you are, it's really frustrating.

"We moved away from stats and 'data.' Coaching doesn't work like that at all. You watch a lot to say a little. It's not a numbers game. We kept it simple. We tried to give the players responsibility to lead themselves.

"I have an official letter [of apology] from the BBC. It's a tough one. I didn't say it ('data')."

Moores, who led Sussex and Lancashire to the County Championship either side of his first spell at the helm, is also disappointed he will not get the opportunity to continue working with a group of emerging England stars.

He won plaudits for placing his faith in the then unproven quartet of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Matt Prior during his initial tenure and the likes of Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali were all either blooded or given new prominence in his second stint in charge.

They all seem set to play major roles for years to come but Moores will not be around to reap the benefit.

"In Test terms, we felt we had turned a corner," added Moores. "Young players were developing fast.

“I'm also confident in my ability to evolve teams to become very good teams. And, given time, I've always gone on to be successful. The frustration is not being able to carry something through."

Somewhat surprisingly given his chequered history with the ECB, Moores revealed he would relish the chance to work with emerging players at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.

"Yes, I'd work for the ECB again," he said. "A role at Loughborough would be exciting. I love coaching and that would be working with the best players and coaches. Yes, it appeals."