Tikolo: we should have taken on the KCA earlier

Steve Tikolo:' The association was mismanaging the sport and we did not utter a word as things deteriorated' © Getty Images

Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo has admitted that he wished that he and his team had taken a stand against the old Kenyan Cricket Association earlier than they did.

Tikolo and a number of senior players finally went on strike last October after more than a year of disputes over payments they claimed were owed to them by the Sharad Ghai led board. That regime was finally removed by fresh elections in May, and Ghai is awaiting trial on charges that he misappropriated around $3.5 million of KCA funds.

"The association was mismanaging the sport and we did not utter a word as things deteriorated," Tikolo told the Nation. "Last year we said enough was enough and refused to play. Our action prompted the government to act. Now the rot in cricket has been cleaned out. Had we protested earlier then we would be at a higher level in the game."

Tikolo also revealed that he regretted his role in chosing Andy Moles as the national coach. He was one of three people given the task of finding a replacement for Sandeep Patil, but revealed that it was a decision he immediately rued.

"We could not work with Moles," he told the paper. "Our relationship in the dressing room deteriorated by the day ... it even threatened our performance.

"This made me realise my work is to play - hiring and firing coaches is the job of the association. When things went wrong we could not complain as we were part of the selection panel."