Moores to coach England

London - England will name Peter Moores as their cricket director on Saturday, handing the Lancashire coach his second chance to lead the national team, British media reported on Friday.

The 51-year-old will succeed Andy Flower, who stepped down after five years in charge following the 5-0 Ashes defeat in Australia in January, thereby beating one-day coach Ashley Giles to the most influential role in English cricket.

Moores led England from 2007-09 before being sacked following a public fall-out with leading batsman Kevin Pietersen whose international career was ended by the England and Wales Cricket Board after the recent series defeat in Australia.

Moores, a journeyman player and a former coach of Sussex, took charge at Lancashire after leaving England and in 2011 led them to the outright County Championship title for the first time in 77 years.

Former international spinner Giles was favourite to get the England job but the team's poor World Twenty20 campaign in Bangladesh last month, in which they failed to get past the group stage, looks to have counted against him.

Moores faces a major rebuilding job following the end of Pietersen's international career, the retirement of experienced off-spinner Graeme Swann and the ongoing problems faced by batsman Jonathan Trott.

The right-hander, England's established number three in recent years, left the Ashes tour after the first test due to a stress-related illness and announced on Friday he was taking a further break from the game.

England play home test series against Sri Lanka and India this year with the one-day World Cup in Australia and New Zealand looming in 2015.