The USOPC (U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee) and ICC (International Cricket Council) are pushing for big changes in USA Cricket’s leadership. They want to jointly create a new list of independent board members, aiming to fix long-standing issues around governance and finances.
Leadership Tensions Rise as Pisike and Salver Resist Resignation Calls
Some USA Cricket board members may resign, but key figures like chair Venu Pisike and Srini Salver are resisting the pressure. Despite ongoing meetings, one board member says they haven’t received official word from the ICC.
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According to TOI, several directors are ready to step down, but Pisike and Salver are pushing back against the pressure to resign. Despite the ongoing discussions, one board member claimed they haven’t received any official communication from the ICC, even though recent meetings were held between the ICC, USOPC, and USAC leadership.
Specifically, Times of India(TOI) reached out to board members Pisike, and Srini Salver for a response, but none had replied at the time of publishing.
A source has told TOI that Patterson's(governance adviser to USOPC) message with the entire USAC board, pointing out that the only new part is that the USOPC and ICC are now open to jointly creating the first list of independent director candidates.
USOPC and ICC Demand "Clean Slate" as USA Cricket Risks Losing Olympic Recognition
The USOPC is getting more involved and has warned that if their conditions aren’t met, they won’t allow the process to begin for selecting a recognized governing body for Olympic cricket in the U.S. which would block USA Cricket from taking that role.
People familiar with the talks say that the ICC agrees with the USOPC’s view, and members of the ICC’s normalisation committee were present at the recent meeting in Los Angeles with USOPC officials, USAC chair Venu Pisike, and Atkeison. The message during those talks was clear there's a need for a “clean slate.”
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In his email, Patterson listed seven action steps and made it clear that the USOPC “will stay involved throughout the process and beyond.” Atkeison replied to the board warning them that if the USOPC’s conditions aren’t met, the committee won’t open the application process for recognizing a national body to oversee Olympic cricket in the U.S. which would essentially block USAC from that role.
The USOPC stepping in has added more pressure on USA Cricket, which has already faced repeated questions around governance and finances since it was formed in 2018.
Also read: IND vs ENG: ‘When you know that your coach is backing you…’: Akash Deep on coach Gambhir's backing
