ICC expects USA Cricket to resolve internal mess; may allot IND vs PAK T20WC clash

USA Cricket has bought time to resolve their internal mess and appoint an elected body by way of a proper ballot in order to remain in the fray and host matches during the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The ICC intends to see if an India vs Pakistan game — cricket’s most valuable property anywhere around the world — can be taken to the American shores in order to promote the game in those markets and explore future possibilities.

After a Chief Executives Committee (CEC) meeting of the ICC on Saturday, it was decided that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will continue to remain primary hosts of the tournament and matches will be allotted to the United States.

Read: USA Stripped as Co-host of 2024 T20 World Cup

Sources in the know said “the Full Member (WICB) signs the host agreement with the Associate Member working through the Full Member but will receive all the benefits of hosting.”

Right now, the idea of hosting an India vs Pak game in the Americas is merely at a contemplation stage. However, those closely tracking cricket-related developments in the US say: “Any big-ticket move by ICC will also immensely benefit the upcoming Major Cricket League (MLC).”

Who is running cricket in USA?

As News18 CricketNext had reported on March 17, long before being awarded the rights until the present day, there has been no clarity whatsoever on who exactly is running the affairs of USA Cricket.

For the longest time now, either the ICC has banned the US cricket federation in the past or has been helpless in allowing another elected body to sustain it. The ICC continues to run its affairs in the US by directly coordinating with its own employees/consultants based out of the country. So much so that even American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the commercial arm that’s putting T20 League cricket together in the US right now, deals directly with the ICC.

CricketNext had sent the ICC a questionnaire recently but there was no official response. Sources in the ICC said: “Martin Snedden, Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Skerritt were part of a Board sub-committee charged with reviewing all 28 proposals that were submitted with ICC management before making a recommendation to the Board. As part of the process, the ICC wanted to take World Cups to new territories and well-established markets in order to help deliver on the overarching strategic aim of growing the game. All bids provided extensive detail as part of the process”.

The move to give a big-ticket tournament to a region which is clearly not prepared yet continues to raise question marks.

“What I can’t understand is, why is the ICC so bent on “developing” a sport in a country that is the leading first-world nation on the planet and can afford to fend for itself? On top of that, the US neither has an elected body in place nor does it have a decent First Class culture. So what’s the hurry to take the World Cup there? Why can’t the ICC put that much emphasis on developing cricket in Nepal or any of the African nations that truly follow and play the sport? One must ask the ICC to explain their “love” for America,” say sources tracking these developments.

It can now also be confirmed that Ricky Skerritt, who played a role in the USA being nominated as co-host for the 2024 T20 World Cup, will now be replaced in the ICC nominations committee by Oman’s Pankaj Khimji, who also happens to be a member director of the Associate Nations in the governing body.

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