Farbrace: It doesn't look great from the outside

England

Cricket365
April 25, 2014

England assistant coach Paul Farbrace has conceded that leaving the Sri Lanka head coaching job after just three months 'doesn't look great' and understands that Sri Lanka fans will be less than impressed.

Farbrace was poached by the ECB to be new coach Peter Moores' assistant, just weeks after leading Sri Lanka to the Asia Cup and World Twenty20 titles, losing just one match in 18 fixtures (to England, ironically).

Farbrace told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It doesn't look great from the outside, someone leaving a job after four months, and I understand from a Sri Lankan point of view that there is disappointment because it was a successful time.

"I understand there will be that disappointment but as I went back to explain to them on Monday, the opportunity to work with my own team, my own country, and be working from home was an offer I couldn't really refuse.

"The opportunity to work with your own national team is almost beyond your wildest dreams. It's a fantastic opportunity and a great time to be involved. There was some disappointment but most people in the room understood the situation. I like to think we finish on reasonably good terms.

"It will be interesting for me and the players that the series in a couple of weeks is against Sri Lanka and there will be some mixed feelings because I built some good relationships – not just this time but the previous time – with the players.

"As a coach you do make good, strong relationships and they're not easy things to put to one side when you're playing against them."

Farbrace spent most of Thursday with Moores at Loughborough, and said he was getting excited about his new role, and was especially looking forward to building a good relationship with the head coach.

He said: "I've had a good day with Mooresy at Loughborough. "It's exciting. I shall be working closely with Mooresy, the support staff and players and hopefully doing what I enjoy doing, which is working hard and working with the players.

"I came across Mooresy in international cricket, when he was coach of England and I was assistant at Sri Lanka, and in county cricket when we worked together on the level four ECB programme.

"We've spent a lot of time together and he's someone I've admired and watched work from a distance for a long time. It's a brilliant opportunity to work with him.

"I still feel I'm developing as a coach and I've got a lot to learn from someone like Peter Moores in this situation.

"I would like to think Peter will be in the job for many years to come and in a really successful period for England cricket, for the players and for Peter, and it would be great to be a to play a very small part in that."

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