Farbrace had been in charge of Sri Lanka for barely three months, a period in which they won the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, before England persuaded him to abandon a job he had only just begun and join Moores in a new-look England coaching structure.

Kumar Sangakkaka, the former Sri Lanka captain, conceded that the circumstances were "not nice" when he joined Durham this week for a brief stint ahead of the Sri Lanka tour but stopped short of criticising Farbrace, who he maintained was "a top guy and a wonderful coach".

Moores also waved aside suggestions that England should make a moral gesture, pointing out that Farbrace was English and that there was a patriotic lure in his new role.

"I don't think he should miss the Sri Lanka tour," Moores said. "Paul has made his decision and he has come in. One of the key things was for him to be in at the start of something new.

"Of course I understand why some people are uncomfortable, but the key message - and I am sure Paul won't mind me saying - is that he loved his time in Sri Lanka. He has been there twice and he went back because he loved the people, he loved the way they played their cricket and some of those senior players he has a great relationship with.

"I can understand why people aren't happy with him because he went there and was very successful. But there was a draw to come and do something in his home country and for anybody who is a patriotic bloke, as Paul is, it becomes something he wants to do. I think over time the players will understand that - they are playing for their country after all.

"We go back a long way with so I know his philosophies about coaching and they are similar to mine which I think is really important. That is about trying to create a situation where people feel free to go and play - and that is quite challenging in an international environment but I think he fits. I think the players will enjoy having him. He is an all-round coach, he covers a lot of bases, and has got great knowledge of one day cricket in particular."

Sangakkara was also reluctant to be too critical. "Paul is a big loss for us," he said. "He could understand how Sri Lanka works and his impact was really important for us in those three months. The circumstances surrounding how he left were unfortunate, it was probably not nice, but England will gain hugely from Paul.

"He's a top guy and a wonderful coach. He's very good with people and sometimes that's more important than having all the knowledge in the world."