Lancs can bounce back, says Moores
8:20am Thursday 9th July 2009 in Sport
LANCASHIRE coach Peter Moores is confident his side can put their recent woes behind them when they host Worcestershire in the Championship at Old Trafford tomorrow.
The Red Rose county won 15 out of their first 18 matches in all competitions at the start of the season, with ex-England boss Moores having an immediate impact in his new role. But they have won just two of their last eight, including two Championship defeats and the most recent Friends Provident Trophy semi-final defeat against Hampshire on Sunday.
The honeymoon period seems to be over, with the focus on their batting problems in four-day cricket.
“Physically we have to regroup, but we have to come back hard against Worcester,” said Moores.
“We have had a couple of disappointing games now, and this is a chance to come back strong. Looking at where we are at the moment, we have played some good cricket. The biggest challenge we have had is to score runs in Championship cricket, gather those batting points and put sides under pressure. That is something that we really do need to go at.
“We have back to back games against Warwickshire and Worcester, and they are good opportunities to get stuck in.”
Lancashire have a major task to overhaul leaders Durham in the race for the Championship, but would put themselves back in the title race with wins against the rock bottom Worcestershire and Warwickshire at Edgbaston next week. They also have a Twenty20 Cup quarter-final against Somerset at Old Trafford on July 28 to look forward to.
“We have been competing on three fronts, now it is two,” Moores added. “In some ways you can focus more on the other two. We have got two clear focuses now — getting a win in the Championship and working those skills ahead of the Twenty20 quarter-final.”
Moores will be able to call upon the services of batsman Francois du Plessis, who missed the Championship draw against Nottinghamshire last week with a tear in his calf, although he featured in Sunday’s Friends Provident defeat. But the game will probably come too early for Tom Smith, who is on the mend after a torn intercostal muscle.
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