USA Cricket (Source:@ragav_x,x.com)
In a significant development, the governance crisis within USA Cricket has entered a critical phase, as chairman Venu Pisike continues to reject mounting pressure from both the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to initiate sweeping reforms within the organization.
Both global and national governing bodies have issued formal calls to restructure USAC’s leadership. It is important to mention that earlier, the ICC has clearly warned USA Cricket Board of suspension from international cricket if its directives are not followed.
On the other hand, the USOPC has linked cricket's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to USAC’s compliance with its governance standards.
USAC Chair Blocks Reform Efforts
Despite these warnings, Pisike has advised board members not to resign and has actively resisted attempts to initiate change. He notably rejected the resignation of independent director Pintoo Shah, who had stepped down voluntarily. In another move, player-director Nadia Gruny, who had expressed her intent to resign, was instead abruptly removed from the board.
The USA board chairman also introduced a resolution during the board meeting on July 13. He also terminated USAC’s agreement with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), the commercial partner responsible for operating Major League Cricket (MLC). This proposal came just two weeks after USA Cricket had publicly voiced its full support for MLC.
However, the resolution failed to pass after several board members did not agree to it, According to sources familiar with the meeting, Pisike may seek to revisit the resolution in future sessions, although its implications for MLC and the broader cricket landscape in the United States remain uncertain.
This latest phase of crisis follows after more than a year of scrutiny, dating back to July 2024, when the ICC placed USAC on formal notice due to continuous governance issues. In response, the ICC created a 'normalisation committee' tasked with overseeing the transition to a more accountable and transparent governance model.
As the power struggle continues, the future of cricket in the United States, both professionally and at the Olympic level, hangs in a precarious balance.
