Dec 22 (Reuters) – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has pledged to fund the United States national team players to ensure they can continue preparing for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup despite the country’s governing body going through a governance and financial crisis.
The ICC suspended USA Cricket (USAC) in September citing failures to implement a functional governance structure, lack of progress toward recognition by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and actions that caused reputational damage to the sport in the U.S. and globally.
The U.S. national teams, however, retained their right to compete in ICC events and continue preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The ICC said on Monday that it was ready to honour USAC’s obligations to pay its contracted players and provide funding for its performance programme while it remained suspended.
“(The ICC) will not allow the dysfunction of USAC to compromise USA’s participation and competitiveness at global events, or the work of the ICC in cricket’s return to the Olympics,” the ICC said in a statement.
USAC, which has filed for bankruptcy, had earlier rejected the ICC’s offer to provide funding through a loan that required the payment of player and staff salaries.
The U.S. are scheduled to take part in next year’s men’s T20 World Cup starting in February.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
