WELLINGTON: New Zealand coach Andy Moles quit on Saturday, New Zealand Cricket officials confirmed, ending a stand-off in which senior players had appealed for him to be sacked.

Moles was standing down “in the best interests” of the organisation following a review of the recent tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy, New Zealand Cricket said. Chief executive Justin Vaughan said no immediate replacement would be named for the upcoming series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Moles, a surprise choice to replace John Bracewell last November, was contracted through to the 2011 World Cup but lasted less than a year in the job. His departure was seen as inevitable when he went into mediation talks on Friday after it became public that senior players had raised concerns about his abilities. Moles said he held no grudge against the players but was aggrieved at the sudden revelation of their concerns. “It is unfortunate that it (coaching deficiencies) wasn’t raised before and that will be looked at, I’m sure, by New Zealand Cricket going forward,” he said.