Sydney, March 12: As they head to a dead rubber on Friday, Afghanistan coach Andy Moles on Thursday expressed his sympathy for Peter Moores, saying the England coach was let down by his players during their disastrous cricket World Cup campaign.

World Cup Special

Even though he would want to inflict more pain on Moores come Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Moles said he feels sorry for Moores, as he believes it is always the players' job to bring in the desired results.

"I hear the criticism of Peter. But as a coach, I feel sorry for him. We do what we can. But ultimately when they cross the line, the players have to do the job," Moles was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.

"The players have just underperformed. It just looked to me as if the players have let themselves down, and importantly, let the coach down."

Moles said blaming the players, however, does not necessarily mean Moores can walk away scot free.

"That's not to say that Peter's place won't come up under scrutiny. But I feel sorry for him. He's obviously worked hard, and I hear from the players that they feel that they've let him and other people down," he said.

The 54-year-old said winning a game requires collective effort but suggested England should not rush to make changes after the debacle.

"It's a collective thing. The coach doesn't win, the players don't win. Everybody has to take collective ability.

"Really, they need to have a look at themselves and there obviously need to be some changes. But I think the big thing is not to rush into anything. They need to take stock," added Moles.

Teams

Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Afsar Zazai (wicketkeeper), Najibullah Zadran, Nasir Jamal, Mirwais Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani.

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.

Match starts at 9 AM IST

IANS