Cricket Canada has described the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to suspend its membership as "unexpected" and has stated that it has already begun taking corrective measures to address the governance and financial issues identified by the sport's global governing body.
The ICC suspended Cricket Canada with immediate effect following its Board meeting in Ahmedabad on Sunday, citing what it termed as "serious breaches" of membership obligations. However, the ICC clarified that Canadian national teams would remain eligible to participate in ICC events to ensure that players are not affected by the governance issues.
Reacting to the decision, Cricket Canada said it respected the ruling and remained fully committed to meeting all requirements set by the ICC. "The suspension was unexpected. Nevertheless, Cricket Canada respects the ICC's decision and is fully committed to meeting all compliance requirements. The Board has directed the Committee to accelerate its investigative and reform mandate to ensure that governance, financial oversight, and reporting systems are strengthened without delay," Cricket Canada said in a statement to Sportsnet, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The governing body added that it had already started implementing measures after receiving communication from the ICC. "Since receiving ICC's notice, Cricket Canada has undertaken immediate, comprehensive, and structured corrective measures to remedy the governance, financial oversight, and administrative deficiencies identified in the ICC's correspondence," it said in the statement.
Cricket Canada further emphasized that it takes the ICC's concerns seriously and remains focused on improving governance standards while continuing to support the development of cricket in the country. The suspension comes as the ICC continues to investigate allegations of corruption involving Cricket Canada, which were highlighted in the CBC documentary Corruption, Crime and Cricket earlier this year.
Cricket Canada stated that it operates under the ICC's anti-corruption framework and remains compliant with the applicable requirements of the governing body. It also asserted that any conclusions should be based on verified facts and due process. Canada, an ICC associate member, participated in the T20 World Cup held in India earlier this year.
Explaining its decision, the ICC said on Monday: "In taking this decision, the ICC Board was mindful of the importance of protecting the interests of Canadian players and ensuring they are not disadvantaged by the governance issues affecting the national governing body. Accordingly, Canadian national representative teams will continue to be eligible to participate in ICC events during the period of suspension."
The ICC will now provide Cricket Canada with a list of conditions that must be met to address the governance and administrative shortcomings identified by the Board. Progress on those conditions will be monitored by the ICC Normalisation Committee. Cricket Canada's membership will be reinstated only when the ICC Board is satisfied that all requirements have been fulfilled.
