ICC holds 'successful' town hall meeting in USA

The ICC conducted a "successful" town hall meeting with stakeholders from the USA cricket community, in Chicago on Saturday. The meeting was hosted by ICC chief executive David Richardson and head of global development Tim Anderson, and was held in the aftermath of USACA's suspension at the ICC annual conference in June, to discuss the development and future of USA cricket. The meeting was attended by 85 people, with most representing approximately 100 cricket leagues across the country.

"We came to learn earlier this year that although lots of cricket was being played in the USA, and lots of passionate people were supporting the game, these efforts were largely disconnected," Richardson said. "A focus on bringing people together to share information, discuss common issues and, importantly, start talking about how exciting the future of cricket in the USA could be was therefore needed, and that's what was achieved during this meeting."

The objective of the meeting was to engage stakeholders and encourage open dialogue to come up with solutions for problems that have plagued USA cricket in recent years. The ICC had sent out a survey to select stakeholders last week to find out what areas of concern were of highest priorities for them, covering varying aspects ranging from, "junior development, women's cricket, fundraising, performance of teams," Anderson had said before the meeting.

"There remains much work to do, however, judging by the attitude of those in attendance who are keen for cricket in the USA to move forward with greater purpose, this has certainly been a very positive step in the right direction," Richardson said after the town hall meeting.

The USA local advisory group will assist the cricket community in strategic planning and development in the coming months.