‘Committed to safeguarding interests of USA’s National team players’, says ICC amid USAC governance crisis

The International Cricket Council (ICC), in a press release on Monday, said it is committed to safeguarding the interests of the USA cricket team’s players despite the ongoing governance and financial crisis within USA Cricket (USAC).

The ICC Board had suspended USAC on September 23, “for serious breaches of the ICC Membership Criteria”, but maintained that the decision must not adversely impact the players and their preparations for the upcoming events, such as the ICC Men’s Under 19 World Cup 2026, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

In the release, the ICC also said it was ready to fund all the aspects of the USA High Performance Programme and pay the players contracted with the USAC during the Board’s suspension.

“The ICC offered to provide funding to USA Cricket by way of a loan in accordance with the Chapter 11 legal process that included, amongst other things, the payment of all player and High-Performance staff salaries. Unfortunately, that offer was not accepted by USA Cricket. The ICC is now, therefore, looking to see if it can make those payments directly, where appropriate, on behalf of USA Cricket,” the ICC added.

An ICC spokesperson said: “Our foremost responsibility is to the players who represent the United States on the world stage. The bankruptcy proceedings initiated by USA Cricket should not, and will not, derail their preparation for ICC events or the LA28 Olympic Games. The ICC stands ready to manage and fund the High-Performance Programme, and ensure all National team players continue to receive the support they deserve. We continue to work closely with the USOPC to build a robust and stable high-performance pathway for LA28. The future of the USA’s players, and the sport’s growth in a key market, remains a major priority for the ICC.”

The USA is set to participate in next year’s T20 World Cup after it secured direct qualification for the global showpiece owing to its impressive run in the 2024 edition, where it stunned Pakistan to reach the Super Eight stage.

Additionally, the ICC said, “One of the consequences of USA Cricket’s suspension by the ICC was that it lost its rights to sanction domestic cricket within the USA, i.e. it lost its right to determine, under the ICC Regulations on the Sanctioning of events and Player Release, whether cricket matches and events staged in the USA should have the status of approved or disapproved cricket. Instead, the ICC agreed that the ICC would take on this role for the period of USA Cricket’s suspension, as it has done in previous cases where Members were suspended by the ICC.”

The development would bring Major League Cricket (MLC)—the USA’s top-flight T20 franchise league—under the purview of the ICC. The future of MLC, which has completed three seasons, is in the balance after USA Cricket terminated its commercial agreement with American Cricket Enterprise Inc. (ACE) earlier this year.

Legal wrangle

Meanwhile, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado has, for now, declined to revoke USA Cricket’s Subchapter V status or appoint a Chapter 11 trustee, despite recording serious concerns over the national body’s governance and ability to reorganise. In an order dated December 15, 2025, Judge Michael E. Romero denied a motion filed by ACE, which was supported by several parties in interest, including the ICC.

The court noted that “several parties in interest filed responses to ACE’s Motion, including the International Cricket Council (‘ICC’)… These parties agree with ACE that the Debtor’s current governance is dysfunctional and incapable of proposing a confirmable plan of reorganisation.”

However, the judge sided with the United States Trustee’s objection, holding that USA Cricket remains statutorily eligible to proceed under Subchapter V and that the court should not intervene before the process is exhausted.

While flagging missed filings, board-level uncertainty and internal deadlock, Judge Romero ruled that revoking Subchapter V status or appointing a trustee would be premature, as USA Cricket’s 90-day deadline to submit a reorganisation plan has not yet expired. The order, however, carries a clear warning: USA Cricket must file a viable Subchapter V plan by December 30, 2025. Failure to do so, the court signalled, would likely prompt it to revisit de-designation and the appointment of an independent Chapter 11 trustee.