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Why ICC banned USA Cricket: Rules, duration of suspension and all details explained
ICC suspends USA Cricket for repeated membership breaches ahead of LA 2028 Olympics, citing governance failures and lack of USOPC recognition.
In what appeared to be an unprecedented move, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended USA Cricket on September 23, 2025, citing “repeated and continued breaches” of membership obligations. This marks a critical juncture for cricket in America, just three years before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Olympics, where cricket is about to make its return as an Olympic sport.
The charges against US Cricket
The ICC’s charge sheet centers on three fundamental failures: USA Cricket’s inability to implement a functional governance structure, lack of progress toward recognition by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee as cricket’s National Governing Body, and actions that damaged cricket’s reputation both domestically and internationally.
This suspension was not abrupt and it was somewhat inevitable with the circumstances. In July 2024, ICC had officially placed the body “on notice” for 12 months to address membership-criteria non-compliance. When continued issues persisted, suspension became inevitable at the 2025 Annual General Meeting.
ICC requirements and constitutional obligations
ICC’s membership criteria demand competent governance, compliance with ICC statutes, and the most crucial for the US context - credible progress toward Olympic pathway compliance via USOPC recognition. Remarkably, USA cricket’s own constitution binds the organization to seek and maintain recognition by the USOPC as a National Governing Body, while complying with US Sports Act provisions governing NGBs.
This includes managerial and financial competence, athlete representation thresholds, fair elections, and due process safeguards. Essentially, USA Cricket wrote these requirements into its rulebook and then systematically failed to meet them.
Path to reinstatement
There is no fixed timeline for restoration. The ICC has established a normalization mechanism to create a roadmap and monitor progress. For reinstatement, USA Cricket must demonstrate specific changes to governance and operations while unlocking the USOPC pathway through credible reforms, fair elections, and sufficient compliance for USOPC NGB recognition.
Protecting the players
To the relief of the players, the ICC has excluded them from this governance crisis. USA’s men’s and women’s national teams remain eligible for ICC events, and LA28 preparations will continue. Team management and high-performance operations will be overseen by ICC representatives to protect the players and maintain program momentum during the governance transition.
The suspension represents a culmination of systemic failures in meeting the very standards USA Cricket mirrors. The path forward is clear but demands comprehensive board reform, election integrity, constitutional compliance, and tangible USOPC progress.
