NAIROBI, Nov 1: Kenyan cricket captain Steve Tikolo on Tuesday called for the sport to be professionalized and renewed the issue of the players being put on contract to end the long simmering dispute in the sport.

The 34-year-old batsman attributed his team’s six-wicket loss to Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup final in Namibia last weekend to the two factors.

“The Kenya Cricket Association needs to adopt a professional approach to the sport,” Tikolo said on arrival from Windhoek.

“They have to start from the top and this will trickle down to the players. The days of playing cricket as a social sport are over.”

Kenya squandered a healthy lead after two days in the final and were bowled out for just 165 by Ireland in the second innings after a total collapse dominated by Irish spinners Kyle McCallan and Andrew White.

Tikolo said his team made unnecessary mistakes as the batsmen failed to get the runs needed to seal the victory.

He said Kenyan cricket will only progress ahead once the players have been put on contract by the KCA to avoid a scenario witnessed last year.

But KCA officials, already without sponsors, have said they are not able to put the players on contract as they only receive an annual grant of US$125,000 from the ICC for development.—AFP