Kenya to lose ODI member status

The ICC executive has decided to recommend to its annual general meeting in June that Kenya be stripped of its status as an ODI member and will revert to being as associate member. The executive, who have been meeting in Dubai, also announced that the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) would be looking into the ongoing crisis in the country.

The ICC accepted an offer by the ACA to travel to Kenya to speak with the parties involved in the current dispute to see if a resolution to the current impasse is possible. The ACA will be assisted by Percy Sonn, the ICC's vice-president, and will report to the executive on the findings of this visit and its view on whether the current issues can be resolved.

At the same time, the ICC will continue with the initiative of an independent commission to develop a new constitution for cricket in Kenya. This commission, which was established last year, has been in limbo since the announcement of the formation of Cricket Kenya in January.

Another blow to the Kenyan Cricket Association came with the news that that suspension of the special funding from the ICC would continue, although the executive did agree to release the $54,000 associate member entitlement to help "deal with the pressing financial obligations of the KCA."

Kenya's loss of one-day membership almost exactly two years after they reached the World Cup semi-finals will be a bitter pill to swallow and is clearly a result of the bitter in-fighting which has blighted Kenyan cricket for so long. But it will retain its one-day status for matches against Test-playing countries and also against other members of the top six associates.