Home Sports Moores focuses on preserving unbeaten home Test record

Moores focuses on preserving unbeaten home Test record

By IANS

London : Coach Peter Moores wants to focus on preserving England's unbeaten home Test record rather than the poor behaviour which marred India's second-Test win.

England, facing their first home series defeat since 2001, go into the final Test Aug 9 one down after losing a bad-tempered Trent Bridge Test Tuesday.

"It got out of hand. Everyone has learned from it and hopefully we won't see it again," he told BBC Radio. "Sport moves on, we've got to get ready for the Oval now."

The Nottingham Test was marred by several unsavoury incidents, with India paceman Zaheer Khan incensed by England scattering jelly beans around the playing area while he was batting.

The left-arm seamer channelled his anger to good effect by taking five wickets in England's second innings and condemning Moores to his first Test defeat since becoming coach.

Moores said: "There was aggression as there should be with two sides trying to win for their country. But we take the spirit of cricket very seriously because we know youngsters are watching.

"It's not a team tactic we talked about before the game," he added, referring to the much-fabled jelly beans.

"England players are desperate to win but that wasn't done disrespectfully.

"I don't want the whole jelly bean thing to overshadow what was a very good Test match with excellent skill by both sides."

Getting back to matters of a purely cricketing nature, Moores conceded that England's sub-standard first innings total in bowler-friendly conditions on the first afternoon proved decisive.

"Par was closer to 300 than 198, we were put under pressure by some very good bowling," he said.

"If we'd got 300 in the first innings they would have chased 180 last so that was a big swing in the game."

One positive note from an England point of view as they seek to avoid their first home series defeat since 2001 was the form of paceman Chris Tremlett.

Playing in only his second Test, the 25-year-old Hampshire bowler took an impressive 3/12 in a penetrating seven-over spell in India's second innings.

"He bowled aggressively, he's grown with every spell he's bowled in the two Test matches.

"He will take a lot from that innings, when he bowled short he bowled with good control, put players under real pressure and still got lateral movement across the seam.

"I thought Jimmy Anderson bowled very well too, very aggressively with good pace so we'll take that into the Oval Test and hopefully do better."

Â