Moles preparing to quit Kenya

Andy Moles: the latest casualty of Kenya's problems? © Getty Images

Andy Moles, Kenya's coach, is reported to be on the verge of quitting, exasperated with continuing infighting and the total lack of money being passed down by the Kenyan Cricket Association.

Moles, who was appointed in the aftermath of Kenya's success in the 2003 World Cup, has found himself trying to build the national side against a backdrop of an increasingly bitter dispute between the board and the players. This culminated in the recent strike, during which some factions blamed Moles, among others, of being racist in their handling of the side. Those allegations were ridiculous and unsubstantiated, but it seems that Moles was attacked as he was seen as an easy and high-profile target.

On the playing side, Moles found that despite the success in 2003, there were almost no funds available for him. Recent disagreements between the board and local clubs have further restricted the facilities available, and stories are circulating that the KCA has so little money that it cannot pay for mowers and rollers to be fuelled. Moles is believed to have been owed up to three months' salary by the board.

Kenya's lack of matches is also a reason that Moles is unhappy, with no official games scheduled between now and the resumption of the ICC Intercontinental Cup next June. The KCA's much-vaunted national league has never materialised and so there is no opportunity for players to develop, and with no funds they cannot be subsidised to travel abroad to play.

The final straw probably came in Abu Dhabi, where a young Kenyan side was taken to the cleaners by Scotland. Whereas Kenya were underfunded and underprepared, the Scots were well financed and could rely on an experienced and efficient support team. The gulf could not have been more evident.

Moles, who coached for five years in South Africa before taking the Kenya job, is unlikely to struggle for work.

But with its recent history, the KCA is not likely to be inundated with high-profile applicants, even if it could afford them. One candidate who might be interested, however, is former Pakistan allrounder Mudassar Nazar, currently heading up the KCA's academy in Nairobi. What is certain is that whoever does take on the post will have their work cut out.

Nobody from the KCA was available to comment.