Players back Moores as axe hovers

Malahide - 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 against Ireland in Malahide, and Mark Wood, one of five debutants in the team, were not in a position to confirm Moores' fate.

But 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.