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Cricket takes a hit in USA

Timothy JonesJune 27, 2015

The governing body for world cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC), has suspended the membership of the USA Cricket Association (USACA). The ICC cited concerns about finance and governance.

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Two USA cricket players ddp images/AP Photo/Jeffrey M. Boan
Image: AP

The decision to suspend USACA "with immediate effect" was made on Friday after discussions on a report from a Review Group about the situation of cricket in the United States, the ICC said on its website.

The ICC said the report had expressed "significant concerns about the governance, finance, reputation and cricketing activities of USACA."

The suspension, decided upon at the ICC annual conference in Barbados, means that the USACA will not receive funding from the ICC during the time the disciplinary measure is in force.

However, the USA cricket team will be permitted to participate in next month's World Twenty20 Qualifier in Ireland and Scotland, the ICC Board has confirmed.

'Tremendous potential' thwarted

ICC Chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan said that the body had taken a "difficult decision" that was "in the best interest of the game and all cricketers in the USA."

"The country has tremendous potential but because of governance, financial and cricketing challenges, the opportunity to grow the game is not being properly nurtured," he added.

The ICC said that USACA will have to remedy all the concerns expressed by the Review Group before its membership is reinstated.

Although cricket enjoys only a marginal existence in the USA, the USACA says it counts 1,100 clubs among its members, with altogether 32,066 participants.