Andrew James Moles (born 12 February 1961) is an English cricket coach and former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Warwickshire and Griqualand West. He has served as head coach of numerous international teams, including Hong Kong, Kenya, Scotland, New Zealand, Afghanistan and the Bahamas. In April 2020, Moles had his left leg amputated below the knee, after contracting MRSA.[1][2]

Andy Moles
Personal information
Full name
Andrew James Moles
Born (1961-02-12) 12 February 1961 (age 63)
Solihull, Warwickshire, England
NicknameMolar
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight arm fast-medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1986–1997Warwickshire
1986/87–1988/89Griqualand West
Head coaching information
YearsTeam
2001Hong Kong
2003–2004Kenya
2005Scotland
2008–2009New Zealand
2014–2015Afghanistan
2021Bahamas
Career statistics
Competition First-class List A
Matches 230 185
Runs scored 15,305 4,733
Batting average 40.70 28.00
100s/50s 29/89 2/15
Top score 230* 127
Balls bowled 1,882 824
Wickets 40 12
Bowling average 47.05 69.50
5 wickets in innings 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 3/21 2/24
Catches/stumpings 146/– 50/–
Source: ESPNCricinfo, 4 September, 2014

Playing career

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Moles was a gritty and determined[citation needed] right-handed opening batsman. He played from 1986 until his retirement in 1997 for Warwickshire, where he scored 13,316 runs at an average of 38.59. During the late 1980s, he also played domestic cricket in South Africa for Griqualand West and in three seasons managed 1,989 runs at 64.16.

Coaching career

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After retiring as a player, he started his coaching career at Griqualand West, staying there for five years. His first appointment as the head coach of a national team came in 2001, when he coached Hong Kong at the 2001 ICC Trophy.[3]

In 2003, he was appointed as the national coach of Kenya, where he had a turbulent time due to infighting between the Kenya Cricket Association and the players which led him to quit the job at the end of 2004.[4] He took over as the coach of Scotland in January 2005 but left the role after less than a year as a result of disagreements with some of the senior players.[5]

He was appointed coach of Northern Districts in New Zealand domestic cricket for the 2006–07 season and in his first season helped guide the team to the State Championship. In November 2008, New Zealand Cricket announced that Moles had been appointed to succeed John Bracewell as the New Zealand Coach.[6] He resigned from that position in October 2009 over differences with senior members of the team.[7]

Moles had a stint as a coach at Wellingborough School in Northamptonshire.[8] before being appointed as batting coach for the Afghanistan national cricket team in June 2014.[9] Later, on 3 September 2014, he was named head coach replacing Kabir Khan ahead of the 2015 Cricket World Cup.[10][11]

In 2021, Moles was hired as the head coach of the Bahamas national cricket team prior to the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Andy Moles: Former Warwickshire batsman on leg amputation and PCA Trust". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Andy Moles: 'I haven't got my brain cut, just lost half a leg'". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  3. ^ (25 April 2001). "Road to Toronto: Latest news on all ICC Trophy First Division countries plus others" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Moles: 'It's not long before the whole thing collapses'". ESPNcricinfo. 17 February 2005. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Andy Moles quits as Scotland's coach". ESPNcricinfo. 13 January 2006. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Black Caps install Moles as coach". 25 November 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
  7. ^ "Moles quits as New Zealand coach". BBC Sport. 24 October 2009. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  8. ^ "The Cricketer | Home".
  9. ^ Afghanistan appoint Moles as batting coach
  10. ^ Moles named new Afghanistan coach
  11. ^ "Afghanistan coach Andy Moles on the 'most dangerous job in sport'". BBC Sport. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  12. ^ French, Simba (5 October 2021). "New direction for Team Bahamas". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
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