By Ian Omoro
The USA’s National Cricket League (NCL) has been officially banned from further sanctions by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to operational irregularities and player composition regulation infractions.
The National Cricket League had previously been instructed by the ICC to follow the playing XI’s guidelines. The rule stipulated that seven USAC-affiliated or associate players must be included in each league playing XI. Since the league has not complied with the requirement, the apex cricket council has declared that it would not be sanctioned by the board for any upcoming leagues.
The action is nearly a year after the ICC created rules for T20 and T10 league sanctions globally. The board informed NCL in writing of its non-compliance with the Playing Eleven rules and the reasons behind its decision. Additionally, it claimed that NCL authorities were aware of a sanction regulation violation prior to the incident.
Notably, NCL had appointed Vivian Richards and Wasim Akram as its ambassadors. The ownership group has also been expanded to include cricketing greats Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. Even though the league attracted a lot of interest because of its star power, ICC has further justified its opposition to the competition with “on and off field” arguments.
In many instances, 6-7 foreign players were observed adorning the field, which was obviously against the rules. To make matters worse, the drop-in wickets that were used were of inferior quality. In order to protect the batsman from injury, pacers like Wahab Riaz and Tymal Mills were urged to bowl spin because the ground was so unsuitable.
Its confidence was damaged by operational inefficiencies, including claims of utilizing the wrong visas for international players. Some players may have entered the United States on tourist visas rather than the necessary sports permits. Certain visas may not comply with U.S. immigration regulations. Approximately USD 200,000 is needed to support sports category visas for a six-team American cricket tournament.
The ICC’s ruling is a component of a larger initiative to control and reinvent league punishment norms globally. Also, the regulatory body is thinking about changing the way it sanctions. They aim to tackle problems in developing cricket markets such as the United States, where the presence of international cricket players and interest from the South Asian diaspora has led to a spike in applications for T20 and T10 competitions.
By recently declining to sanction the venerable US Open T20 tournament, USAC seems to have taken the ICC’s warnings seriously. This ruling may mark a change in the direction of more stringent standards enforcement in all American cricket leagues.
