England coach Moores wants momentum

Peter Moores admitted yesterday that his first anniversary as England coach is a watershed moment — time for the rebuilding process to give way to consistent selections, consistent victories and pre-Ashes momentum.

Twelve months ago, the former Sussex coach succeeded Duncan Fletcher at the helm of the national team and his reign to date has been a stop-start affair.

In both Test and oneday cricket he has presided over two series victories and two defeats, but the spirited fightback for a 2-1 triumph in New Zealand suggested Michael Vaughan's sidemay have turned a corner.

However, with Australia due here next summer, the clock is ticking on the development process.

At the heart of the 2005 Ashes win was confidence borne out of relentless success and Moores is well aware that, with the first npower Test against New Zealand starting at Lord's tomorrow, his team must build up a head of steam.

'We have to develop people for the longterm but we also have to win in the shortterm,' he said. 'We want to gain momentum going into the Ashes but the key to that is winning and that starts with this series.

'I expect us to win it. We will have to play good cricket, but we're capable of that. But we certainly won't underestimate New Zealand — they put balls in the right areas as a bowling unit and they scrap really hard.'

Moores is realistic when assessing how England have performed under him, acknowledging that while foundations have been laid, performances have not yet reached the required levels.

'Overall, I'm satisfied,' he said. 'We've been through a journey and we've had our ups and downs. But we've seen a lot of people emerge, we've seen a lot of things change and we've won our last two Tests, so we want to build on that.

'I think we've got more strength in depth now, so we're starting to look like quite a strong squad of players.'

England would have been able to show an especially aggressive side if Andrew Flintoff had been back in the fold.

The Lancashire allrounder's side strain has stalled his comeback for now, but Moores confirmed he was in line for a recall until the latest unfortunate setback.

'Freddie would have been in the squad if he had been fit,' he said.

'Whether or not he was fit to play in this Test match was a decision we would have had to make, but we would have included him in the squad.'

England are favourites for this three-match series but the New Zealanders are bristling at being cast as hapless cannon fodder.

Veteran seamer Chris Martin, 33, said: 'There's a lot of media hype, saying that England should stamp on us and destroy us. I suppose if they don't do that they will be under more pressure, so that is good for us. They are a steady side and on their day they can be a good side. We are in a similar vein.'