The beleaguered USA Cricket (USAC) has been given a three-month reprieve until teams who will compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are chosen using a hybrid selection process.
At its meeting in Singapore on Saturday, July 19, the all-powerful ICC Board voted to give USAC more time after it has been criticized for its governance problems. The situation has gotten so bad that the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the nation’s highest Olympic body, has taken issue with the US cricket organization.
After being placed on notice by the ICC at its most recent annual meeting in July 2024, USAC had to get its house in order after being on notice for almost a year. The Normalization Committee, which traveled to the US last month, is reportedly not overly pleased with the advancements, though.
The ICC may have suspended the member as the next obvious step in any other situation. But the unique situation of the USA hosting the next Olympic Games seems to be working in the USAC’s favor. According to those attending the annual conference now in Singapore, the ICC Board decided on Saturday to offer the body a three-month reprieve due to the delicate nature of the situation. The ICC is managed by Jay Shah.
But it’s difficult to overlook the irony of this circumstance. Although it is anticipated that the US men’s and women’s teams would automatically qualify for the Olympic Games, world and local cricket authorities are still faced with a significant conundrum over who will choose those teams. One thing to consider is if USAC will be permitted to choose the teams by the USOPC if it satisfies the governance requirements in the upcoming three months.
As for the LA28 qualification method, it is known that the ICC has chosen to use a hybrid format, which means that certain teams will be able to qualify based on the ICC T20 rankings, while others will need to compete in a qualifier. India is likely to qualify automatically because they are the top T20 squad, regardless of the ranking cutoff time.
In order to provide recommendations regarding the framework of all three game formats, the ICC Board also established a working group. Specifics are anticipated to be revealed on Sunday, the last day of the Singapore conclave.
