In a sudden move, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended USA Cricket's membership on September 23, 2025. The Council announced the move was a consequence of repeated membership breaches.
In July 2024, ICC had served a notice to USA cricket and gave them a year's time to address and resolve non-compliant with membership criteria. However, the issues seemed to have continued, resulting in the recent ban that was decided during the Annual General Meeting.
In the statement released by ICC, the body announced, "The International Cricket Council (ICC), after a thorough review of affairs and extensive engagement with key stakeholders over the past year, today confirmed the suspension of ICC membership status of USA Cricket, with immediate effect".
USA is set to host the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles which will see cricket return to the tournament as an Olympic sport. Hence, the ban marks a turning point for the sport in the USA.
Elaborating on the breaches which led to the ban, ICC said, "These [breaches] include, but are not limited to, the failure to implement a functional governance structure, lack of progress toward achieving National Governing Body status with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and significant actions that have caused reputational damage to cricket in the United States and around the world".
USA Cricket fell short of meeting the main criteria set by ICC, which requires a member to have a strong governance system and comply with ICC rules and statues, which, according to the Council, it has failed to do.
"The suspension is an unfortunate but necessary step to protect the long-term interests of the game, and the ICC’s top priority remains ensuring that the athletes and the sport itself are not impacted due to the suspension", ICC further stated.
The Council also announced that the board has decided that to protect athletes and staff, USA's national teams can participate in all ICC events and also prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
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