England Finale For Fletcher

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Vaughan - ready for Fletcher's finale.

By Myles Hodgson, PA Sport Cricket Correspondent, Barbados

England enter their final match of the Duncan Fletcher era today already planning for the future and the new era due to begin on their return home.

National Academy director Peter Moores, who will be officially unveiled at a press conference next week, was confirmed as Fletcher's successor yesterday as England attempt to bounce back strongly from their desperate six-month winter campaign.

Victory in today's final match, which also marks the farewell of brilliant West Indian Brian Lara, should give England a boost as the squad attempt to adjust to life without their coach of the last eight years.

England captain Michael Vaughan is planning to speak to Moores as soon as possible, but has underlined the importance of England returning to winning ways as soon as possible after a winter where they have departed the ICC Champions Trophy and World Cup early and suffered a 5-0 Ashes series whitewash.

"I think we need to sit down and discuss a strategy for what we think is the best way forward," said Vaughan.

"We have not played well in one-day cricket and we've lost our last five Test matches - if you look back to the Oval game against Pakistan it could have been six if it hadn't been finished in silly circumstances.

"We have to make sure we get our game back in order and sit down and discuss selection strategies and I'm sure we'll be doing that over the next week or so."

Vaughan's relationship with Moores is restricted to a few weeks he spent with the Academy before Christmas in Perth as he continued his rehabilitation from a year out with knee problems.

But he impressed Vaughan in that short space of time, who admitted: "He's got a nice manner about him and a huge enthusiasm for the game as you should have as a coach.

"I like the way he thinks about the game and I'm sure he'll bring a lot to the England team. He's someone I'm looking forward to working with.

"I've spoken to a few of the players in the team who have spent some time with him at the Academy just to get a feel over the last 24 hours and they all say he's a good bloke.

"I'll speak to him on a few issues, more so on when we want the players to go back and play for their counties to get the cricket required to make sure we're right for the Test matches against West Indies."

Today's match is unlikely to have much of a bearing on that series, which starts at Lord's on May 17, as England will not have to plan on outwitting Lara's genius.

It is not a farewell which is likely to fill Vaughan with too much sadness, however, who stressed: "As a captain you sometimes have plans and know where to bowl at players, but he's one of those batsmen who can make a captain look very silly because he's that good.

"He can manipulate the fields you've set, manipulate the bowling changes you make and he'll be missed in the game, but certainly not by us because he's scored far too many runs against England.

"The pressure is off for this game, but we're desperate to win to give Fletcher a good farewell and for the supporters. We got booed off the other day and I never want to experience that again so we want to win the game to give them something to cheer about."