A 180 Move

The USA cricket team has seemingly done a whole 180 recently. They were on top of the world just last year when they were co-hosting the T20 World Cup. Now, they find the national board suspended by cricket's governing body, the Internatiional Cricket Council (ICC).

The ICC has suspended USA Cricket’s membership, as it builds safeguards to protect athletes and the sport’s Olympic aspirations.

The measures were announced in a media statement.

The ICC, after a thorough review of affairs and extensive engagement with key stakeholders over the past year, confirmed the suspension of ICC membership status of USA Cricket; with immediate effect.

The management and administration of the U.S.A. national teams will temporarily be overseen by the ICC.

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 a ICC Member under the ICC’s Constitution. 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 is an unfortunate but necessary step to protect the long-term interests of the game and the ICC’s top priority remains ensuring that the athletes and the sport itself aren't impacted due to the suspension. The ICC Board has decided that USA’s national teams will retain their right to participate in ICC events, including preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).

The management and administration of USA national teams will temporarily be overseen by the ICC and/or its designated representatives to ensure continued support for the players and maintain momentum towards Olympic inclusion. This approach reflects the ICC’s firm commitment to upholding the best interests of cricketers in the USA and the sustenance of a High-performance & Player development program which will seek to elevate the stature and capabilities of players representing USA.

The ICC Normalisation Committee, supported by the ICC management, will outline the steps required for the suspension on USA Cricket to lifted and its membership rights restored. These will include demonstrable and specific changes to USA Cricket’s governance structure, operations and overall status in the cricket ecosystem. The normalisation committee will also monitor USA Cricket’s progress and provide consultatory support.

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.

The constitutional breaches listed by the ICC include failing to implement a functional governance structure and a lack of progress towards achieving national governing body (NGB) status with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

It also highlighted unspecified "significant actions that caused reputational damage to cricket in the United States and around the world."

NGB status is required for a sport to take place at the Olympics, where cricket is due to return after a 128-year absence. USA Cricket was previously placed "on notice" at the 2024 ICC annual general meeting (AGM) for "non-compliance with membership criteria" and given 12 months to fix the issues.

Following July's AGM, the governing body confirmed USA Cricket remained on notice, with the caveat that the ICC board "reserves the right to take such actions as it deems appropriate".

USA Cricket was placed ‘on notice’ at the 2024 ICC Annual General Meeting for non-compliance with ICC Membership Criteria and given 12 months to remedy that non-compliance. On account of continued non-compliance with the ICC Membership Criteria, USA Cricket was to be considered for suspension at the 2025 AGM.

It was only because of a representation made to the ICC normalisation committee by USA Cricket and commitments made thereafter to the ICC Board in July, that the ICC Membership voted to keep them 'on notice'.

When USAC was notified of the AGM’s decision, 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.

There is no fixed timeline for restoration. The ICC has established a normalisation mechanism to create a roadmap and monitor progress. For reinstatement, USA Cricket must demonstrate specific changes to governance and operations while unlocking the USOPC pathway through credible reforms, fair elections, and sufficient compliance for USOPC NGB recognition.

To the relief of the players, the ICC has excluded them from this governance crisis. USA’s men’s and women’s national teams remain eligible for ICC events and LA28 preparations will continue. Team management and high-performance operations will be overseen by ICC representatives to protect the players and maintain program momentum during the governance transition.

The crisis in USA Cricket has deepened, with the USAC initiating bankruptcy proceedings on Wednesday as part of what it said was a structural re-organisation. Terming it as an "aggressive" and "legal" move, the USAC said it was necessary to "ensure the future of American cricket."

The development was made public in a media release where the USAC said it had "voluntarily" filed for the financial reorganisation under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy code. The USAC decision is concerning as it comes about a week since ICC suspended USAC for serious breaches of membership criteria.

Communicating the suspension in an e-mail to USAC chairman, Venu Pisike, the ICC chairman, Jay Shah, had warned USAC to "not take any steps to undermine the ICC or its Normalisation Committee in all aspects of the ICC's work related to the USA, including the LA28 Olympic Games."

However, USAC chief executive officer, Johnathan Atkeison, said in the media release that one of their motives behind the financial restructuring was to also address the ICC suspension. "The decision was not made lightly, but it is the best course of action to secure USA Cricket, and allow it the time and space it needs to successfully reorganise," Atkeison said.

The U.S.A. have been an associate member of the ICC since 1965 and featured at the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, reaching the Super 8 stage to earn automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament.

Johnathan Atkeison told BBC Sport in a statement: "We were informed by the ICC of the decision to suspend U.S.A. Cricket. "Obviously, we are disappointed, but we are awaiting further information from them regarding the conditions for reinstatement so that we can evaluate the path forward."

USA Cricket (USAC) has described the ICC's decision to suspend it as "one of the most difficult moments" in its history and "difficult to comprehend". In a statement, USAC said it remains committed to navigating this "challenging" period and will hold elections in line with the timeline agreed upon with the ICC.

The statement came after the board filed for bankruptcy on 1 October. Calling the suspension "aggressive," USAC stressed that the financial restructuring was necessary to secure the organisation's future.

USAC's decision to file for bankruptcy came as a surprise to the ICC as it was after the ICC had moved to suspend the organisation. The statement, USAC pointed out, was part of a "series of communications" it would share to explain its decision-making in recent weeks.

"The recent suspension of USA Cricket by the International Cricket Council has been one of the most difficult moments in our history," the statement said. "It has caused uncertainty and disappointment for players, members, volunteers, and supporters. Yet this moment must not be mistaken for dysfunction. It is the result of difficult but necessary decisions taken to protect the game, the organization, and the future of cricket in the United States."

In August, USAC terminated its long-term contract with American Cricket Enterprise (ACE), its principal commercial partner and owner of Major League Cricket (MLC). This was followed by the move to initiate the financial restructuring.

USAC said the ICC decision was difficult to comprehend because the ACE termination was taken, "to protect integrity and independence rather than to harm it." USAC chair, Venu Pisike, reiterated the same, saying the ACE contract was "one-sided" and the stand shouldn't be seen as a "defiance" of ICC. "We chose principle over convenience. Our decisions were driven by the need to safeguard the game's future, not to surrender its control," Pisike said.

Tensions between USAC and ACE have simmered almost since the two parties signed a 50-year commercial agreement in 2019, which included current chair Pisike. As part of the deal, ACE committed to providing USAC with a minimum of US$1.2 million annually to fund national team contracts, including those of the support staff. However, USAC has since said the deal undervalued the national team's commercial rights, which it claims are worth over US$5 million per year.

In a section titled "Years of strain and commercial overreach," USAC said it had "operated under immense pressure" from ACE and its ownership group. Despite never managing to create a "balanced, long-form" agreement", USAC said ACE never met its financial and operational targets while "attempting to control" the organisation's "governance, operations, and programs."

Despite the divide with ACE, USAC said it tried to comply with the ICC requirement, including the "directive" issued in August (following the ICC's annual general meeting) to conduct the elections by October 20 this year.

USAC also accused ACE of "continuous acts of intimidation and interference" stretching from grassroots cricket to the USAC Board. The statement on Friday alleged that ACE "attempted to pressure" the national selectors "into choosing players aligned with their interests, displacing home-grown talent and threatening participants who sought to participate in non-MLC tournaments".

It also alleged that ACE had "imported" over 100 overseas players "under the guise" of involvement in cricket in the country but many of those players were left unsupported and there were "promises left unfulfilled". USAC also alleged that ACE had attempted to influence its board members by promising them team owner or other roles in associated leagues. USAC said it was legally challenging ACE's conduct.

The decision to file for bankruptcy was taken after the USAC Board met on September 30 with nine directors including Pisike in attendance. However, it is learned those four directors - Nadia Gruny, Atul Rai, Arjun Gona and Kuljeet Singh Nijjar - left the meeting in protest, with one saying the members were being "muted" by Pisike before being able to complete what they wanted to say.

In a statement, ACE blamed the remaining five directors and alleged that they had "hijacked" the USAC Board, which resulted in ICC suspension. "USA Cricket was put on notice by the ICC in July 2024, so they have had plenty of time to address ICC's legitimate governance concerns," ACE said.

"Five directors appear to have hijacked the Board and refused to comply with the ICC's and USOPC's six-step roadmap for reform. Not only have the acts of these five directors resulted in the suspension of USA Cricket by the ICC for clear governance and management failures, they have also placed the organisation in bankruptcy court."

ACE also said the USAC statement issued was "false" and "inaccurate". "ACE considers this a thinly veiled attempt to avoid being answerable for their actions in a court of law. ACE strongly refutes all the allegations made in the recent false and inaccurate statement by USAC. USAC continues to show zero regard for the best interests of cricket and its players, and is only motivated by politics and the personal agendas of these five directors."

These developments come even as the ICC has been working closely with the US Olympics and Paralympics Committee (USOPC) to help USAC secure national governing body (NGB) status from USOPC, which is mandatory for all sports that are a part of the LA28 Games. As part of that process, the ICC has sent a six-step "roadmap" to USAC to "restore the integrity and credibility" of the board.

The statement on Friday, USAC said, was being issued "not in blame, but in belief, the belief that American cricket can emerge stronger, fairer, and more inclusive". It said that it was taking a "principled path" to ensure "control of cricket in the USA remained with the USAC as well as the local cricket community and not outside commercial interests."

I was very surprised by this news story. I thought U.S. cricket was in good standing. It's good that the players aren't implicated by all of this. It's never ideal to involve people who had zero input on the matter. Politics bore me so I feel I'm not in a position to offer an opinion on the matter of the board's status.