The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Cricket Canada from its membership with immediate effect, citing serious breaches of membership obligations. The decision was taken during the ICC Board meetings in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Reasons for Suspension
The ICC Board resolved to take this action due to serious breaches of membership obligations by Cricket Canada. The move follows a documentary aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in April, which alleged corruption within Cricket Canada's administration. The program raised concerns over governance issues, including allegations of match manipulation and threats of violence involving some players and officials.
Protecting Canadian Players
Despite the suspension, the ICC emphasized that it has taken steps to ensure that Canadian cricketers are not affected by the administrative issues. Canadian national representative teams will continue to be eligible to participate in ICC events during the suspension period. The ICC Board was mindful of protecting the interests of Canadian players and ensuring they are not disadvantaged by the governance issues affecting the national governing body.
Financial Support and Reinstatement Conditions
Cricket Canada will continue to receive financial support, but only through a controlled funding mechanism overseen by ICC management. The funds can be used solely for approved national team programmes. The ICC will provide Cricket Canada with a set of reinstatement conditions aimed at addressing the governance and administrative issues identified by the Board. Progress against these conditions will be monitored by the ICC Normalisation Committee, supported by ICC management. Reinstatement of membership is subject to the Board being satisfied that the conditions have been fully met.
Other ICC Board Decisions
The ICC Board also approved a number of recommendations from the Chief Executives Committee. Among them is a trial allowing the use of a pink ball in Test matches, subject to agreement from both teams, to reduce the amount of play lost because of bad light. The ICC will also work with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on research into lighting technology that could help match officials and venues deal better with poor light conditions.
In another change, match officials will be allowed to access Hawk-Eye data when assessing and reporting suspected illegal bowling actions. The Board also approved updates to the playing conditions. Head coaches, or their designated representatives, will now be allowed to consult with players during scheduled drinks breaks. A mandatory 15-minute interval will be introduced in T20 Internationals, while batters will be required to be ready when play resumes after a break.
