In our last piece on the crisis affecting US Cricket, our last words were “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that“.

Well it has. Earlier today the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended the membership status of USA Cricket.

In the interim, the management and administration of USA’s national cricket teams will temporarily be overseen by the ICC and/or its designated representatives. There are bound to be a few critics of Cricket USA ready to fill that vacuum.

The release also emphasizes continued support for the players and the wish to maintain momentum towards Olympic inclusion.

Team USA’s inclusion at its own Olympics does not seem threatened by this move.

Here is the full ICC Media Statement:

MEDIA RELEASE

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

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 are not 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 normalization 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.

For information:

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 normalization 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.

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