Selectors face tough decisions

The strike may be over, but any of the 13 cricketers who refused to play against Namibia last week will need to apply to the Kenyan board (KCA) if they want to be considered for selection for the Intercontinental Cup finals next month.

Although the KCA made the announcement, it caught Steve Tikolo, the former Kenya captain and one of the strikers, by surprise. "That is news to us. What I know is that from the meeting with the Kenya National Sports Council and the minister is that they pay what they owes then other matters will follow," he told The Daily Nation. "We know nothing about re-applying for our places in the team."

The KCA should have announced its side by the middle of last week, but the dispute made that impossible. There are still some issues to be resolved regarding back-pay and contracts, but it is hoped that these can be dealt with very shortly.

The selectors face some difficult decisions. Do they bring back the strikers - many of whom have been associated with poor performances since the World Cup - or stick with the new faces who supplemented the team and battled to get Kenya into the finals? It is likely that there will be a mixture of new and old when the side is finally revealed.