USA Cricket calls ICC suspension 'one of the most difficult moments' in its history

USA Cricket (USAC) has described the ICC's decision to suspend it as "one of the most difficult moments" in its history and "difficult to comprehend". In a statement on Friday, USAC said it remains committed to navigating this "challenging" period and will hold elections in line with the timeline agreed upon with the ICC.

The statement came after the board filed for bankruptcy on October 1. Calling the suspension "aggressive", USAC stressed that the financial restructuring was necessary to secure the organisation's future.

USAC's decision to file for bankruptcy came as a surprise to the ICC as it was after the ICC had moved to suspend the organisation on September 23. The statement on Friday, USAC pointed out, was part of a "series of communications" it would share to explain its decision-making in recent weeks.

"The recent suspension of USA Cricket by the International Cricket Council has been one of the most difficult moments in our history," the statement said. "It has caused uncertainty and disappointment for players, members, volunteers, and supporters. Yet this moment must not be mistaken for dysfunction. It is the result of difficult but necessary decisions taken to protect the game, the organization, and the future of cricket in the United States."

At its annual general meeting in July, the ICC said USAC would continue to be "on notice" but asked the latter to conduct elections within three months and carry out governance reforms.

In August, USAC terminated its long-term contract with American Cricket Enterprise (ACE), its principal commercial partner and owner of Major League Cricket (MLC). This was followed by the move to initiate the financial restructuring. ICC chairman Jay Shah had warned USAC, in the suspension letter, to "not take any steps to undermine the ICC or its Normalisation Committee in all aspects of the ICC's work related to the USA, including the LA28 Olympic Games".

On Friday, USAC said the ICC decision was difficult to comprehend because the ACE termination was taken "to protect integrity and independence rather than to harm it". USAC chair Venu Pisike reiterated the same, saying the ACE contract was "one-sided" and the stand should not be seen as a "defiance" of ICC. "We chose principle over convenience. Our decisions were driven by the need to safeguard the game's future, not to surrender its control," Pisike said. Tensions between USAC and ACE have simmered almost since the two parties signed a 50-year commercial agreement in 2019, which included current chair Pisike. As part of the deal, ACE committed to providing USAC with a minimum of US$1.2 million annually to fund national team contracts, including those of the support staff. However, USAC has since said the deal undervalued the national team's commercial rights, which it claims are worth over US$5 million per year.

In a section titled "Years of strain and commercial overreach", USAC said it had "operated under immense pressure" from ACE and its ownership group. Despite never managing to create a "balanced, long-form" agreement", USAC said ACE never met its financial and operational targets while "attempting to control" the organisation's "governance, operations, and programs".

Despite the divide with ACE, USAC said it tried to comply with the ICC requirement, including the "directive" issued in August (following the ICC's annual general meeting) to conduct the elections by October 20 this year.

USAC also accused ACE of "continuous acts of intimidation and interference" stretching from grassroots cricket to the USAC Board. The statement on Friday alleged that ACE "attempted to pressure" the national selectors "into choosing players aligned with their interests, displacing home-grown talent and threatening participants who sought to participate in non-MLC tournaments".

It also alleged that ACE had "imported" over 100 overseas players "under the guise" of involvement in cricket in the country, but many of those players were left unsupported and there were "promises left unfulfilled". USAC also alleged that ACE had attempted to influence its board members by promising them team owner or other roles in associated leagues. USAC said it was legally challenging ACE's conduct.

The decision to file for bankruptcy was taken after the USAC Board met on September 30 with nine directors including Pisike in attendance. However, it is learned those four directors - Nadia Gruny, Atul Rai, Arjun Gona and Kuljeet Singh Nijjar - left the meeting in protest, with one saying the members were being "muted" by Pisike before being able to complete what they wanted to say.

In a statement on Saturday, ACE blamed the remaining five directors and alleged that they had "hijacked" the USAC Board, which resulted in ICC suspension. "USA Cricket was put on notice by the ICC in July 2024, so they have had plenty of time to address ICC's legitimate governance concerns," ACE said. "Five directors appear to have hijacked the Board and refused to comply with the ICC's and USOPC's six-step roadmap for reform. Not only have the acts of these five directors resulted in the suspension of USA Cricket by the ICC for clear governance and management failures, they have also placed the organisation in bankruptcy court."

ACE also said the USAC statement issued on Friday was "false" and "inaccurate". "ACE considers this a thinly veiled attempt to avoid being answerable for their actions in a court of law. ACE strongly refutes all the allegations made in the recent false and inaccurate statement by USAC. USAC continues to show zero regard for the best interests of cricket and its players, and is only motivated by politics and the personal agendas of these five directors."

These developments come even as the ICC has been working closely with the US Olympics and Paralympics Committee (USOPC) to help USAC secure national governing body (NGB) status from USOPC, which is mandatory for all sports that are a part of the LA28 Games. As part of that process, the ICC has sent a six-step "roadmap" to USAC to "restore the integrity and credibility" of the board.

The statement on Friday, USAC said, was being issued "not in blame, but in belief, the belief that American cricket can emerge stronger, fairer, and more inclusive". It said that it was taking a "principled path" to ensure "control of cricket in the USA remained with the USAC as well as the local cricket community and not outside commercial interests".