Troubled American Cricket Governing Body Set To Be ‘Put On Notice’ After Ongoing Turmoil

Troubled USA Cricket is set to be ‘put on notice’ by the sport’s governing body amid ongoing turmoil threatening to dampen a momentous juncture for American cricket.

At last month’s International Cricket Council quarterly meetings, the continual saga engulfing American cricket was heavily debated by members of the Development Committee, according to sources.

It was recommended that USA Cricket be ‘put on notice’ at the Annual General Meeting in July because it does not currently meet the ICC’s Membership Criteria. If it remained non-compliant after one year, USA Cricket could then face suspension and ultimately expulsion as a member.

USA Cricket did not respond to questions.

Being on-notice is described as something like a “wrap on the knuckles” but the financial pinch is felt when members are suspended and their funding halted. This is familiar terrain for a chaotic American cricket scene after former governing body USA Cricket Association was expelled in 2017 capping a turbulent period marked by three suspensions.

The newly formed USA Cricket started promisingly under the high-profile leadership of Paraag Marathe, the long-time San Francisco 49ers senior administrator, and former ICC chief operating officer Iain Higgins.

They had several grandiose ideas, including Full Membership by 2030, with the U.S. sports market particularly coveted by the ICC. But they both departed their roles in contentious circumstances and the instability of USA Cricket is underlined by interim CEO Vinay Bhimjiani having recently resigned after just five months in the hot seat.

It all comes at a pivotal juncture for the minor sport of cricket in the U.S, which is the ICC’s number one target market much to the chagrin of some administrators around the world who cry foul over “preferential treatment given to them” as several industry sources have relayed to me.

The well-heeled Major League Cricket, the much-anticipated new professional T20 league boasting global cricket stars, will launch in July while the U.S. is co-hosting next year’s T20 World Cup with the West Indies in a landmark event.

But the MLC, consisting of 19 matches over 18 days and played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, was only officially sanctioned earlier this month – as I first reported – after a dispute between USA Cricket and league organizers threatened the tournament’s status.

The sanctioning meant that ICC members could issue No Objection Certificates to their players who want to compete in the MLC after the tournament had been “disapproved” by the ICC.

Salary caps were reportedly around $1 million per team with top players set to receive similar remuneration per game to cashed-up start-up leagues in the UAE and South Africa.

While MLC will go ahead, a relief for investors who have poured in over $100 million into the six-team tournament hoped to spark broader interest of cricket in the U.S, the ICC is closely monitoring the off-field chaos once again festering in the backdrop.