London, May 11 (IANS): Incoming England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Colin Graves on Monday defended the way national side head coach Peter Moores was relieved of his duties.

Moores was sacked following a poor World Cup and a drawn Test series against the West Indies.

The sacking was confirmed on Saturday but reportedly the news had emerged a day earlier. Andrew Strauss has been appointed as the new national director of cricket.

"It seems it got leaked... but that was certainly not by the ECB," Graves was quoted as saying by bbc.com.

"Tom Harrison (the ECB chief executive) was there on Friday and it was handled properly. It was sorted out straightaway and certainly Peter Moores was as comfortable as he could be in those circumstances," he said.

"It is Andrew Strauss who takes that call as he builds his team around him. We will not rush into any decision overnight," Graves said referring to building a new team around Strauss.

"The Peter Moores decision was not a knee-jerk one and this will not be either," he said.

Graves, 67, is set to replace Giles Clarke as ECB chairman on Thursday.

Assistant coach Paul Farbrace will manage the outfit for the two-Test series against New Zealand, which starts at Lord's on May 21, with Yorkshire head coach Jason Gillespie the favourite to replace Moores on a permanent basis.