Andrew Strauss is expected to restore stability and calm to an England cricket team rocked by Kevin Pietersen

LONDON: Andrew Strauss is expected to restore stability and calm to an England cricket team rocked by Kevin Pietersen's resignation and the sacking of coach Peter Moores, with the ultimate goal of beating Australia in the Ashes.

With England in disarray after losing both Pietersen and Moores on Wednesday, Strauss, who was due to hold a news conference at Lord's later Thursday, is considered a safe choice as captain amid speculation that the team was split over the conflict between the captain and the coach.

"If there is one man who can get the England team to gel and bring the players together after weeks and even months of damaging rumors, it is Andrew Strauss," former captain Michael Vaughan wrote in Thursday's Daily Telegraph. "Such a decent man can bring back maturity and stability to the England team."

Although the England and Wales Cricket Board moved quickly to appoint Strauss as captain for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, it still has to find a coach to replace Moores, who was in charge for 18 months after the 2007 World Cup.

After the tour of the Caribbean, England hosts the West Indies and then takes on its oldest and most competitive opponent Australia in an Ashes series starting July.

The upheaval caused by Wednesday's shock moves will have hindered England's chances of taking the Ashes from Ricky Ponting's team, even though the Australians have lost their last two series against India and South Africa.

Strauss now has the tough job of creating harmony within the team amid speculation that some players were against Pietersen in his conflict with Moores.

"We are pretty shocked. We never really knew things were so bad," batsman Ian Bell told BBC radio on Thursday.

"With captains and coaches, people are going to have their own ideas. There are always going to be conversations where people want their way and others want something slightly different. I was very shocked to see how fast it developed. I am very amazed that both have gone. It is really important now as a team that we get back together and back on track."

Without divulging where he stood on the Pietersen vs. Moores issue, Bell said the players had to support Strauss. He said he was glad to see that Pietersen, the team's star batsman, had confirmed he would continue to play for the team.

"We want to get back on the field as fast as possible and give Straussy as much support as we can," Bell said. "(Pietersen) is the best player in the world. That is something you want in your dressing room. He is a matchwinner who can turn things on their head and he plays well under pressure. Kevin Pietersen makes England a lot better team than we are without him."