The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) have taken complete charge of preparations for the 2024 T20 World Cup. USA Cricket, which was earlier announced as the “co-host” of the event, continues to be a mere spectator and all the heavy lifting is being done jointly by the ICC and CWI.
In an exclusive conversation with News18 CricketNext, Dr Atul Rai, who served as interim chairman of USA Cricket from August 2022 to April 2023, and remains on the board, says the lack of facilities and proper infrastructure in the USA will cause a major headache to the ICC. When asked if the USA is ready to host a tournament as big as the T20 World Cup, Rai said, “It’s a very tough situation.” CricketNext reached out to International Cricket Council for a response and the story will be updated the moment ICC responds.
ICC, USA Cricket Sanction Major League Cricket and Minor League Cricket
“Not really. I don’t think so. Not where we stand right now. But then again ICC has to make the final call. But without proper infrastructure, nothing is going to happen. We don’t have any existing facilities so it’s up to the ICC whether they will invest money in some makeshift venue and even host some games. But it’s a very tough situation, to be honest. ICC has recognised that too.”
“They wanted to do something but USA Cricket hasn’t helped themselves. At the end of the day, when our house is not in order and there is so much that needs to happen before anyone can come in and say okay you are doing great, let’s put more money and make things happen. ICC is not happy with the situation here and I don’t blame them. You can only hold a hand so far, right? At some point, you have to learn to walk on your own. Hand holding can only take you so far in life,” says Rai, who has been a long-standing cricket administrator in the USA.
Chaos Continues! USA Cricket and MLC Dispute Reaches ICC Doors
At an ICC meeting earlier this year, USA Cricket were asked to sort their internal mess to remain in the fray and host matches during the World Cup. There were speculations of more than 15 fixtures, including the big-ticket India vs Pakistan match, going to the USA but the current infrastructure situation and the bureaucratic chaos makes it an unlikely prospect.
‘No real facilities in the USA’
ICC’s venue inspections have already begun in the West Indies but it remains an uphill task in the USA. There are no major cricketing facilities in the region fit for a high-profile tournament like the World Cup and even the Florida venue, which has hosted India-West Indies T20s in the past, “is not up to par for an ICC event”.
“Currently, all the responsibilities are with CWI and ICC and nothing is with USA Cricket. It’s ultimately up to ICC to decide where the final venues would be and it’s never an easy job because there are no real facilities in the USA which are ready to host ICC World Cup event.”
USA Stripped as Co-host of 2024 T20 World Cup | Exclusive
“Even the one in Florida (Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill) requires a lot of work. Even that stadium, which hosts India-West Indies games regularly, is not up to par for an ICC event. None of the others are capable of hosting a big-time event like the World Cup. That’s why they (ICC) were looking into temporary venues. Again, it’s up to the ICC because they are the decision-makers and USA Cricket was never a signatory to that because we are (an) Associate Member, not (a) Full Member. It’s ultimately between CWI and ICC,” says Rai.
Every host nation – Associate Member or Full Member – receives “hosting fees” for conducting ICC games. USA Cricket, however, is not sure about the revenue inflow since the global cricketing body is “not giving USA Cricket any money to upgrade facilities”. Even the upgrades at shortlisted venues will be carried out by ICC.
“The hosting fees depend on the number of venues selected and the number of games held. If there are some games held in the USA, there will be some revenue coming to USA Cricket, for sure. But again it depends on how much money has to be spent. If there were an existing facility, where ICC didn’t have to spend a lot of money, then there would have been money left over. ICC is not giving USA Cricket any money to upgrade facilities. ICC is in charge of the event and they will decide which venues will be used and then they will go to those facilities and bring their own people and upgrade those facilities.”
“So they are not giving any money and saying ‘go and upgrade your facilities’. They are not doing that. Not in the USA. Cricket West Indies could be a different story because they are a Full member and signatory to the event and also the major host. They have much more say in the matter whereas USA Cricket doesn’t,” says Rai.
Suspension fear
USA Cricket is far from ready to pull off an event like the World Cup. The house is not in order and fear of suspension or the World Cup moving completely to the West Indies is growing by the day.
“The fear is always there. I would be lying If I said I was not afraid that such a thing would happen. But you always hope it won’t. But who knows? House is not in order and USA Cricket needs to get its act together. And hope that we don’t give others an opportunity to do something drastic. I hope not, but fear is always there,” says Rai.
Who is running the show in the USA?
An ICC release in April 2022 confirmed the USA and West Indies’ direct qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup as joint hosts. It was a historic moment for the USA which is still trying to establish a cricket culture in its sporting ecosystem despite being the first country to be accorded the status of an Associate Member decades ago.
However, long before being awarded the rights until the present day, there has been no clarity on who exactly is running the show in the USA. Rai was the interim chairman till April before he was replaced by Kuljit Singh Nijjar. Vinay Bhimjiani served as the CEO for approximately five months before tendering his resignation and the hunt for his replacement is still on. ICC is aware of the ongoing mess and “hasn’t really asked USA Cricket to do anything”.
“First of all, the USA, as an Associate Member, we are only a co-host on paper. Most of the logistics and all the other things are conducted by ICC and Cricket West Indies. USA Cricket doesn’t have the ability to do anything in a significant way. And this being an ICC event, ICC hasn’t really asked USA Cricket to do anything other than identify some venues. Even that, they have done their due diligence – inspections and things like that. At this point, which venue will be used is a toss-up in the air. They were looking at temporary venues and all that stuff and USA Cricket hasn’t helped itself in some ways and is not ready,” says Rai.
Get the latest Cricket News, IPL 2023 Live Score, Orange Cap and Purple Cap holder details here
Comments
0 comment