By Scott Heinrich BBC Sport at Edgbaston

Andy Moles stands with bat in hand on Edgbaston's lush outfield, giving his Kenya players some catching practice ahead of their game with Pakistan.

It's great to be back Andy Moles

It is familiar territory for the 43-year-old, whose blade had helped newly crowned County Champions Warwickshire to previous title wins in 1994-95.

"I played here for 13 years, and Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer was coach when I was here," Moles tells BBC Sport.

"It's nice to see old faces and catch up with old friends. They won the Championship and everything at Warwickshire seems to be on the up."

Moles, who averaged 40 in his first-class career, has lots on his mind on his Birmingham homecoming.

Appointed coach following Kenya's remarkable top-four finish in the 2003 World Cup, Moles has found the job far from easy.

"When I took over, a lot of uneducated cricket followers wondered why we weren't beating everybody anymore. We are not the fourth best team in the world."

Moles ready for Kenyan mission

It is hard to prove yourself against the best when you rarely play them, and Kenya's barren one-day schedule is a source of distress for Moles.

While he does not point an accusing finger at the International Cricket Council, as his captain Steve Tikolo has done, Moles is still aggrieved.

"It's tough to compete against the good teams when you only play them once every 18 months," he says.

Moles in action for Warwickshire in the 1980s

"It's difficult for them and we are trying to get more cricket. It frustrates me, but I understand it's hard with the ICC's programme for the Test nations.

"We're on the outside trying to break in. All I ask is that we be included in some of these triangular tournaments instead of always going for the same old sides.

"After the Champions Trophy we have an Intercontinental Cup game against Namibia early next month, but after that we have no cricket in the diary.

"The captain has made his point that we need more cricket. We need to play and we need the countries to be more understanding, not only the ICC."

The predicament is especially exasperating for Moles, as he knows the talent simmering within Kenya's squad.

"There's a lot of natural ability in this team. Day in, day out at this level they will get beaten, but there will be the days when they click and cause upsets.

"They obviously achieved a lot in making the semi-finals of the World Cup, but I think one or two of them had to come down off that pedestal a little bit.

"They enjoyed the moment but perhaps enjoyed it a little bit too long. But now they're all working hard, and they realise it's a hard task ahead of them.

Maurice Odumbe's five-year ban shocked his team-mates

"I've tried to instil more professionalism into the side."

One thing Moles did not legislate for is the loss of Maurice Odumbe, the player banned for five years for receiving money from a bookmaker.

"To suddenly have your best player taken out of the side weakens it greatly," Moles explains.

"Odumbe bats at five and bowls 10 overs, so to replace him you need two players."

Moles said Odumbe has the full backing of his former team-mates.

"They have felt it. They're a close-knit group and the same nucleus of players have worked together for 10 years.

"The players feel like they've lost a friend in the dressing room. We can't do anything about it - the hearing's over and you have to abide by it.

"Maurice still says he is innocent and obviously they believe him. Why shouldn't they? Rightly or wrongly, they believe that five years was too harsh."

Moles, though, has other things to worry about, not least proving to the world that his men deserve a bigger bite of the cherry.