England captain Alastair Cook has insisted that Graham Gooch's departure as batting coach was made in a bid to "freshen things up" in the camp.

The former England skipper left his role this morning following the appointment of new head coach Peter Moores.

"We felt it's time to freshen things up and move on," BBC Sport quotes Cook as saying. "For me, to still have him in my corner, go back to him, talk cricket, work on my game like I've always done, but we need to thank him for his hard work.

"A lot of the players have a great relationship with him, on a one-to-one basis as well, not just me. I hope those guys will feel free to go and work with Goochy because we all know the work he does is outstanding."

Gooch became full-time batting coach with England in 2011.

Written by
Danielle Joynson