PETER Moores saw off "world-class candidates" to become Lancashire's new head coach.

And the Red Rose are positive they've got the best man for the job.

The former England boss will take the Old Trafford hot-seat on March 1 following a six-week selection process which has seen some of the biggest names in the game linked with the post.

Moores was a late entrant into the race, having still been England coach when the deadline for applications closed on January 2.

But from the moment he was sacked by the ECB five days later, following the Kevin Pietersen saga, Lancashire simply could not risk missing out.

Favourite

Moores was the front-runner as soon as he threw his hat into the ring.

Having guided unfancied Sussex to a first County Championship in their 164-year history in 2003 made him an obvious favourite for a club so desperate to land the title.

"We always knew this position would create a lot of interest, but we could not have envisaged the amount of world-class candidates who applied for the role," said chief executive Jim Cumbes.

"However, Peter's resume speaks for itself, and what he achieved with Sussex is the envy of all counties.

"Lancashire is one of the biggest cricket clubs in the world, and success is what our members and supporters demand and long to see.

"Having been involved in the interview process, I know we have the right man for the job, and under the direction of Mike Watkinson, we now have a structure in place that will take cricket throughout the entire county forward."

Moores, who played 231 first-class games as wicketkeeper for Sussex and Worcestershire, claiming over 500 victims and scoring over 7,000 runs, will oversee all day-to-day first-team affairs and coaching duties and will be working closely with Mike Watkinson, who played a key role in the selection process.

Role

"I'm delighted Peter is joining our cricket management team in this important role," said Watkinson, who was in charge of first-team affairs for seven years before becoming director of cricket.

"I have known him for many years, initially as a player, then in his various coaching roles, and he has the quality and experience to take the first team squad forward.

"We share many values and beliefs, and I'm looking forward to working closely alongside him to further improve the performance of the professional squad."

When Duncan Fletcher resigned as England coach after a disastrous World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007, Moores was an obvious choice to succeed him having been in charge of the ECB National Academy and having led an England A tour to the West Indies in 2001. And although his tenure in charge of the national side started with a 3-0 Test series home win over West Indies, England lost series to Sri Lanka, South Africa and India, beating only New Zealand home and away, before his sacking.

But he is still well-respected in the county game, and has worked with Lancashire's Andrew Flintoff, Jimmy Anderson, Sajid Mahmood and Tom Smith in the past.

Ironically, Moores' first game in charge of Lancashire will be against former side Sussex in the pre-season Pro ARCH tournament in Abu Dhabi. And his former club will provide the opposition when the Red Rose side begin their County Championship campaign at Hove on April 21.

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