USA Cricket’s World Cup Dreams Disrupted by Funding and Administrative Setbacks

USA Cricket’s efforts to gear up for a busy international schedule have faced several challenges in recent months. Funding delays and administrative roadblocks have significantly impacted both the senior and junior teams as they prepare for crucial ICC events.

The latest issue affects the Under-19 men’s team, which was supposed to leave for a 10-day training camp in South Africa on December 27, ahead of the U-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe in January. The trip has been postponed because several players did not receive their visas on time.

Sources indicate that the responsibility for the visa applications and travel plans fell to ICC-appointed staff due to USA Cricket’s suspension. Unfortunately, the visa applications were only filed on December 20, leaving inadequate time for processing and causing the tour to be delayed.

This delay is part of a series of disruptions that have affected preparations at various levels. Earlier this year, USA Cricket planned a U-19 tour to the West Indies for matches against the host nation and England’s U-19 team. However, Cricket West Indies cancelled this tour, citing funding issues.

Similarly, a senior men’s training camp planned for Sri Lanka in October, ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 series in Dubai, was cancelled following USA Cricket’s suspension by the ICC.

Logistical challenges continued even during the competition. The ICC did not organize the senior men’s team’s travel to Dubai, forcing the suspended board to arrange last-minute private travel. The team barely made it in time for the tournament, held from October 26 to November 5.

Despite these setbacks, the USA team won all four of its matches and currently leads the points table in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 (2023–27).

Looking ahead, the senior men’s team is set to head to Sri Lanka on January 26 for a training camp before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka and India will co-host starting February 7. The U-19s will compete in Zimbabwe in January, and the long-term goal includes preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

These ongoing challenges occur against the backdrop of USA Cricket’s suspension by the ICC in September for severe membership criteria breaches. Shortly after, USA Cricket filed for bankruptcy, having ended a longstanding commercial deal with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), which owns Major League Cricket.

According to a letter dated December 9 from USA Cricket chairman Venu Pisike to ICC General Manager (Development) William Glenwright, the board agreed to the ICC’s debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing terms, which covered only High Performance expenses.

The letter also mentioned that on November 10, the ICC rejected USA Cricket’s request to avoid interfering with the termination of the ACE contract or require its reinstatement under the previous terms. USA Cricket had terminated its agreement with ACE in August, citing multiple breaches of the 2019 term sheet.

Following the expiration of the ICC’s DIP proposal, ACE filed a motion in Bankruptcy Court, supported by the ICC. Pisike also noted that an outstanding reimbursement of USD 63,000 due to USA Cricket for hosting the U-19 Americas Qualifier in August had not been paid, despite repeated follow-ups.

It has since been reported that the ICC settled the USD 63,000 reimbursement and intends to clear outstanding payments to senior men’s players and coaches.

With three significant ICC events on the horizon, the cumulative effect of funding delays, administrative uncertainties, and disrupted planning has left USA Cricket teams scrambling to prepare, often facing uncertainty beyond the next travel date.

Published on December 26, 2025.