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New Delhi: The ICC has decided to suspend USA Cricket (USAC),in an attempt to improve its leadership and governance in a crucial market. The ICC Board made this decision during a virtual meeting on Tuesday. The suspension will not affect the national team’s involvement in the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be played in February in India and Sri Lanka, nor their participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The suspension comes just over two months after the ICC granted USAC a three-month window to hold “free and fair elections” and carry out “comprehensive” governance reforms at its annual general meeting in July. The ICC stressed at the time that USAC would continue to be “on notice,” as it has been since July 2024, and warned that the Board retained the right to take any action it deemed necessary based on how the reforms were going.
Finally, on Tuesday evening, the ICC suspended USAC with “immediate effect” and temporarily assumed control of the “management and administration of USA national teams.”
“The decision, taken by the ICC Board during its meeting earlier, was based on USA Cricket’s repeated and continued breaches of its obligations as an ICC Member under the ICC’s Constitution,” an ICC press release said. “These include, but are not limited to, the failure to implement a functional governance structure, lack of progress toward achieving National Governing Body status with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and significant actions that have caused reputational damage to cricket in the United States and around the world.”
The suspension won’t immediately affect cricket’s inclusion in the LA 2028 Games. The ICC confirmed that USA teams can continue participating in ICC events and prepare for the Olympics. Describing the move as “unfortunate but necessary,” the ICC stated it was compelled to take such drastic action to “protect the long-term interests of the game and the ICC’s top priority remains ensuring that the athletes and the sport itself are not impacted due to the suspension.”
The ICC had been working with USAC to develop a “roadmap” and help it secure national governing body (NGB) status from the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which is necessary for all sports that will be part of the LA28 Games, while USAC was on notice. The USA, the host country, is anticipated to be one of the six teams competing for medals in both the women’s and men’s divisions.
Under the leadership of chairman Jay Shah, the ICC Normalization Committee created a six-step plan. Prior to this, the committee held two in-person meetings in June and virtually in April with USAC’s top executives, Venu Pisike (chairman) and Jonathan Atkeison (CEO). According to the roadmap, USAC had to replace the current Board members with three new independent directors in order to start an organizational overhaul. USAC would then apply for NGB status after the USAC Board resigned to make room for new elections.
At the same time, the ICC stated that a thorough review and reform of the USA Cricket Constitution “shall be undertaken” in close consultation with the Independent Directors and relevant ICC stakeholders. Since USAC failed to meet these requirements, it was suspended.
USAC faced potential suspension at the ICC’s AGM in July and secured a three-month reprieve by making “commitments” to the ICC Board to fulfill the membership requirements.
“When USAC was notified of the AGM’s decision,” the ICC press release said, “it was specifically advised in writing that, along with fulfilling the commitments it made to the Board and taking immediate steps in that respect, it must (i) not do/omit to do anything that might jeopardise cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics, and (ii) not do anything (by act or omission) that brings cricket or the ICC into disrepute or is contrary to the best interests of cricket or the ICC.”
The Normalization Committee, working with the ICC management, will set out a process that USAC must adhere to in order to have its suspension lifted. This process “will include demonstrable and specific changes to USA Cricket’s governance structure, operations, and overall status in the Cricket ecosystem.” In addition, the normalization committee will keep an eye on USA Cricket’s development and offer advisory assistance.
“The ICC remains committed to supporting the growth of cricket in the United States, protect the sporting ecosystem and its constituents, namely the athletes and bolstering its march towards a more significant role on the global stage.”
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