Zimbabwe's rebel players returned to training at Harare Sports Club on Friday following peace moves with the national cricket union (ZCU) aimed at solving their dispute.

The 15 rebels boycotted practice and made themselves unavailable for selection after Heath Streak's tenure as captain ended on April 2 when he questioned the composition of the selection panel. They had claimed political bias and racism in the selection of the team.

"We're undergoing a fitness test right now -- and I think I'm about to puke," Grant Flower, one of the rebels, told Reuters.

The players agreed on Wednesday to return to training on Friday, following an approach to the ZCU, and to make themselves available for matches.

However, on Thursday they demanded that the ZCU agree to arbitration on the issues of the captaincy, the make-up of the selection panel and transgressions they say have been committed by members of the board.

The rebel 15 say the ZCU has until close of business on Tuesday to agree to arbitration, failing which the players say they will walk out again.

The media manager of the ZCU, Lovemore Banda, declined to comment on Friday when asked when the board would respond to the demand for arbitration.

Zimbabwe were forced to field a makeshift team in a one-day home international series in Sri Lanka which finished in a 5-0 whitewash on Thursday. They play the first Test next Thursday and later in May meet the world champion Australians.