The International Cricket Council (ICC) governing body has suspended the USA Cricket organization’s membership as the fallout from its feud with the operator of its MLC domestic competition continues.
In suspending the body, the ICC cited “repeated and continued breaches” of its constitution, including a failure to “implement a functional governance structure,” as well as the lack of progress in its efforts to be recognized by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as a national governing body ahead of the sport’s return at the Los Angeles 2028 games (LA28).
The ICC placed USA Cricket ‘on notice’ in 2024 for the same reasons and handed the body a 12-month deadline to remedy its governance issues or face suspension, a deadline that was not met.
Moving forward, the ICC’s normalization committee will consult with USA Cricket on the process to see the suspension lifted, including the specific changes necessary to its governance structure and the overall cricketing landscape in the country.
Despite the suspension, the ICC has said that the US men’s and women’s national teams will still be able to compete in international competition through the suspension, including in lead-up games ahead of LA28, with their administration to be overseen by the ICC itself (or selected representatives).
This is the latest in a series of hurdles the embattled USA Cricket body has faced, the most recent of which was the termination of its contract with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the company that had been running the Major League Cricket (MLC) domestic tournament.
That agreement was meant to be a 50-year tie-up, but has instead spanned only the first three seasons of the six-team MLC, with USA Cricket citing “multiple material breaches” of the pair’s term sheet in the areas of "financial commitments, infrastructure development, organizational structure, and governance responsibilities."
ACE, for its part, rejected the various allegations laid against it and has instead called the contract termination "unlawful," also stating that it has "fully complied" with the various contractual requirements.
It also called for "the USA Cricket board to resign immediately and allow professional independent board members selected by the ICC and USOPC to steer USA Cricket forward.
It added that "ACE is prepared to take all necessary steps to protect its stakeholders, safeguard the progress it has made over the last seven years, and ensure the long-term success of cricket in the US."
The ICC has been making a concerted effort to boost cricket's profile in the US for the last few years, and a significant proportion of games from the 2024 ICC (International Cricket Council) Men's T20 World Cup were held in that market - across Florida, Texas, and New York.
