The crisis in USA Cricket has left players considering their future in the sport, after the board was suspended by the ICC last month.
Why was USA Cricket suspended by the ICC?
The board’s suspension, which was based on “repeated and continuous breaches of USA Cricket’s obligations as an ICC member”, means the management and administration of the US national teams has been temporarily taken over by the ICC. Suspension will also not affect the USA’s participation in the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, which they qualified for as a top eight finisher in the last edition.
USA Cricket declared bankruptcy earlier this month, and has several ongoing lawsuits against both the organisation and individual members of the board.
'You hear some stuff from the media, some stuff from emails'
“It’s been difficult to try and figure out exactly what’s going on,” Sanjay Krishnamurthi – USA all-rounder with 23 international caps – tells Wisden.com. “You hear some stuff from the media, and some stuff from emails. There have also been some confidential video calls [for players], but it’s been a bit slow.
“Our [pre-T20 World Cup] training camp has been affected, so we’ve got to make the most of what we can training locally. I hope that we have some sort of preparation after our 50-over series, but we’ll have to see.”
Read more: Inside USA Cricket’s power struggle – The bitter fight for control of the game
The most concerning part of the crisis for players has been the termination of USA Cricket’s partnership with American Cricket Enterprises [ACE]. ACE are a consortium of high-profile investors who own Major League Cricket and Minor League Cricket, and also have funded US national team activities since 2019. USA Cricket allege multiple failures of ACE to deliver on their obligations set out in the deal, including national team funding and building a high-performance centre. ACE strongly deny those claims, and are currently suing USA Cricket alleging unlawful termination of the deal.
USA men were set to have a high-performance training camp, funded by ACE, and a warm-up series against West Indies A, to prepare for the T20 World Cup in February, and for World Cricket League Two, which is USA’s pathway to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. Under the current circumstances, they are unlikely to take place.
The termination of the deal also puts the future of MLC in jeopardy. The deal gave ACE exclusive rights to facilitate a T20 League in the USA. Without the deal, they no longer have those rights.
“There’s huge nervousness and uncertainty with the current situation,” ACE CEO Johnny Grave told Wisden.com. “MLC isn’t something you organise in a couple of months. International players want to know about their summer plans and secure their earnings for next year now, so we need to contract them and arrange their visas ASAP.”
Krishnamurthi, who plays for San Francisco Unicorns in MLC, and scored 253 runs in this year’s editions – including 92 off 40 balls against LA Knight Riders – is similarly wary. “Should the termination remain in place, I think it’s reasonable to think that these tournaments might not happen or might happen on a much smaller scale with ACE not wanting to put in as much investment,” he says.
Also read: 'Everything is at risk' – What the USA Cricket crisis means for the future of MLC and LA28
“If these tournaments were to not happen then it would definitely change my outlook on American cricket, because these are the most important opportunities, especially Major League, that we get to showcase our skills to the world. Without it, it’s pretty hard to show your skills as an American cricketer in order to get into other leagues.
“I wouldn’t necessarily be as comfortable putting all of my eggs into cricket [should MLC cease to continue], and I believe others feel a similar way from the conversations I’ve had.”
The USA will be back in action this weekend, as they resume their campaign in World Cup League Two. They will begin a tri-series against Nepal and the UAE in Dubai, having last played in May. USA are currently second in the league table and in a strong position to advance to the Qualifier for the 50-over World Cup for the first time.
*Photo credits San Francisco Unicorns
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