USACA eliminates general manager position, ousts Manaf Mohamed

Manaf Mohamed, who was hired as general manager of the USA Cricket Association in January 2011, has been dismissed by USACA chief executive Darren Beazley. The move came after the USACA decided to terminate the general manager's position due to its redundant functions.

"The termination was due to the elimination of the general manager position," Mohamed told ESPNcricinfo, when asked about the reason for his removal. "I wasn't surprised. I was expecting it simply because there was a lot of overflow area between some of the activities that I used to do as the GM and then with the CEO coming in doing a lot of high-level stuff. Knowing something about our funding position, I kind of expected it in the long run. It would all come down to how they manage the budget."

Mohamed, 65, had previously served as USACA's second vice-president from 2008 until he stepped down from a volunteer position to take on a paid job as general manager in 2011. He was originally hired to fill the administrative void left by the removal of USACA's first chief executive, Don Lockerbie, who was dismissed in November 2010. The position of a general manager did not exist during Lockerbie's tenure as CEO, but having a full-time paid administrator is one of the requirements for Associate countries to receive an increased level of ICC funding. With USACA in no rush to hire a new CEO after Lockerbie's departure, the position of general manager was created, with Mohamed taking on the role.

In December 2012, USACA announced that Darren Beazley had been hired to become the next chief executive and he confirmed that the decision was part of a larger re-structuring within USACA.

"The role of general manager is no longer necessary with a full-time CEO and the removal of the role is part of a larger re-structure of our HR function that is ongoing," Beazley said in a written statement. "Manaf has been a diligent servant to the game of cricket here in the US. Whilst we are sorry to see him go in a permanent capacity, I am very pleased that he'll remain involved in some of the projects that we have coming up. His experience as a previous USACA Board member and paid administrator is very valuable to the future direction of US cricket."