Barely a month after the final game of the historic, first-ever ICC global tournament held in the nation, the ICC has warned USA Cricket (USAC) that it could be “put on notice” for non-compliance with its Associate membership status. In June, the USA and the West Indies co-hosted the T20 World Cup, which saw matches held at three different locations as the ICC fulfilled a long-standing goal of entering the North American market.
But the warning, which states that USAC may have violated two laws, makes clear how tough that goal is to achieve. One relates to USAC’s failure to meet the governance standards established by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in order to obtain the National Governing Body (NGB) certification required for all sports included to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Furthermore, USAC has been criticised by the ICC for lacking a “fit-for-purpose administrative structure” and for failing to fill the CEO post after firing the prior employee just months into the role.
“USA Cricket is currently non-compliant with ICC Associate Member Membership Criteria 2.2(b)(i) (governance structure) and 2.2 (b)(ii) (administrative and executive structure) and is at risk of being placed ‘On Notice’,” the ICC stated in a recent note sent to all of its members who will be present at the AGM of the global cricket body, which is scheduled for July 22 in Colombo, following the ICC Board meeting.
The five-page document with the title “Associate Member Membership Update” was delivered on July 11 and was viewed by ESPNcricinfo. The USOPC had “expressed serious concerns” about USAC’s governance mechanism, according to the ICC. “In a letter to the USAC, the USOPC expressed grave concerns over the organization’s current governance. Although this does not violate USAC’s ICC Membership Criteria, it raises more general questions about the organization’s governance.
“However, USOPC have stated if USAC do not achieve NGB certification, they will be required to commence a process to recognise an alternate NGB for cricket, which could put USAC in breach of ICC Membership Criteria to be “recognized by the ICC (at its absolute discretion) as the primary governing body responsible for the administration, management and development of cricket (men’s and women’s) in its country”.
The ICC has placed USAC on alert for the second time this year. The ICC blasted USAC over a number of issues in a communiqué it wrote following its quarterly meetings in March, including a warning that USAC was not doing enough to comply with USOPC at the time. The ICC also brought up the issues of not having appointed an independent director to its board and not having a CEO in place since it fired the previous CEO, Dr. Noor Mohammad Murad.
Six days following the ICC Board meeting in Dubai, ICC CEO Geoff Allardice issued an email to USAC chair Venu Piske, who was elected to the role in July 2023. As per Allardice’s email, which ESPNcricinfo was able to view, the ICC Board recognised the USA’s “importance” as a “cricket territory” but also highlighted the “long history of problems” with USAC.
A suspension of USAC membership for “being in serious breach of membership obligations” was also considered by the ICC Board in March, but Allardice’s argument that it would interfere with USA’s preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup prevented it from happening in the end. Rather, the ICC Board chose to offer USAC one “final opportunity” to “correct” the non-compliance problems.
The ICC Board did, however, halt USAC’s yearly financing until it met all membership requirements as a major punitive measure. From April to July, “controlled funding” will only be granted on a “exceptional basis” “to enable cricket in the USA not to be prejudiced”. Allardice and ICC head Greg Barclay reminded USAC during the T20 World Cup that noncompliance with membership requirements will result in suspension.
Now, the ICC stated that the USAC was still in violation in the July AGM notice and suggested more severe penalties. “USAC still lacks an administrative structure that is appropriate for its goals. With the departure of their most recent CEO after only a few months in the position, USAC is currently without a CEO. To find a new CEO, the hiring process has begun. The Development Manager and the Women’s Manager, the two surviving USAC Development employees, both resigned in April. The process of replacing these employees has not yet started. At the moment, temporary and part-time contractors serve as replacement employees.
“It is Management’s view that USAC has not remedied all areas of non-compliance as outlined in the ICC’s letter to USAC dated 21 March, 2024, and is therefore at risk of being placed ‘On Notice’.”
USAC is believed to have informed the ICC in its initial answer, sent on July 12, that it had appointed Pintoo Shah, an independent director who also assumed responsibility as Treasurer. The USAC Board approved his nomination the same day. USAC stated that the reason for the delay in filling the independent post was that it had to change its constitution to comply with USOPC rules.
The USAC communication, which was forwarded to high-ranking USOPC officials, further stated that the ICC’s threat of “drastic action” was unjust when the organisation was exerting great effort to comply. USAC stated that it was unreasonable to expect it to be compliant by March when the ICC gave the first warning because it was just made aware of the NGB certification procedure on January 24. This was especially true given that USOPC had until September 30 to submit its compliance.
Regarding the open CEO position, USAC reported that since posting a job advertisement in April, it had received multiple applications and had created a shortlist of candidates, keeping ICC Americas informed. It is expected that the ICC AGM will precede the appointment of the new USAC CEO.