Why ICC banned USA Cricket: Rules, duration of suspension and all details explained

By Admin

24 Sep, 2025

The International Cricket Council (ICC) made a landmark decision on September 23, 2025, by suspending USA Cricket, citing repeated membership breaches and governance failures. This unprecedented move comes at a sensitive time, with cricket set to return to the Olympic stage at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The suspension not only highlights governance lapses but also puts the future of cricket in the United States under the global spotlight.

The Charges Against USA Cricket

The ICC’s charge sheet outlined three key failures:

1. Governance breakdown – USA Cricket failed to establish a functional and transparent governance structure.
   
   

2. Lack of Olympic recognition – No progress was made toward recognition by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as cricket’s official National Governing Body (NGB).
   
   

3. Reputational damage – Actions and inaction from the board hurt the credibility of cricket both in the U.S. and internationally.
   
   

This suspension was not abrupt. In July 2024, ICC placed USA Cricket “on notice” for 12 months to resolve compliance issues. However, continued breaches and poor progress left the ICC with no choice but to impose suspension at its 2025 Annual General Meeting.

ICC Membership Rules and Obligations

The ICC requires all member boards to meet strict governance and compliance standards. These include:

• Competent and transparent management structures.
  
  

• Adherence to ICC statutes.
  
  

• Credible progress toward Olympic pathway compliance, specifically recognition by the USOPC.
  
  

Interestingly, USA Cricket’s own constitution requires it to seek and maintain USOPC recognition, align with the U.S. Sports Act, and ensure fair elections, financial transparency, and athlete representation. In practice, however, these obligations were consistently ignored, leading to the crisis.

Duration and Path to Reinstatement

The suspension has no fixed timeline. The ICC has set up a normalization mechanism to guide reforms and monitor progress. For reinstatement, USA Cricket must:

• Overhaul its governance structure.
  
  

• Conduct fair and transparent elections.
  
  

• Demonstrate financial and managerial competence.
  
  

• Achieve credible progress toward USOPC NGB recognition.
  
  

Only once these conditions are met will ICC membership be restored.

Protecting the Players

Amid the turmoil, the ICC has ensured that players are not penalized. USA’s men’s and women’s national teams remain eligible for all ICC tournaments, and preparations for LA28 will continue uninterrupted. To safeguard progress, ICC-appointed representatives will oversee team management and high-performance programs during the suspension period.

What This Means for Cricket in America

The suspension represents the culmination of years of systemic governance failures. It serves as both a warning and an opportunity: unless USA Cricket delivers comprehensive reforms, its Olympic dreams could fade. However, with ICC oversight and the LA28 deadline looming, this crisis could spark the very reforms needed to place U.S. cricket on a stronger, more credible foundation.