According to what Cricbuzz is aware of, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) harshly criticized the USA cricket board’s current situation in a letter. Insider information indicates that the Olympic body has voiced serious unhappiness with the organization’s current governance and management procedures. It is believed that USOPC is “disturbed” by the board directors’ meddling in the board’s daily activities. Moreover, it is thought that the recent resignation of CEO Dr. Noor Murad marked a turning point that could lead the Olympic body to consider options other than USA Cricket.
To make matters worse, the ICC directly warned USA Cricket to straighten up after their board meeting on March 15. According to information obtained, a resounding majority of full members supported suspending USA Cricket, but they also decided to remove the possibility of doing so until after the World Cup. It is said that the ICC is furious that Dr. Murad was fired as CEO less than half of his contract had been completed. The ICC had suggested Dr. Murad for the position, and USA Cricket added to the ICC’s resentment when its attempts to have Dr. Murad reinstated were met with resistance.
“They believe that they ought to be heavily involved in the operations and daily activities. Hence, there is a personal component to how they manage operations. It never grows because of this (cricket). They are investing a great deal of money to win that particular seat. Therefore, they believe that they have the right to manage the business for specific purposes in order to uphold their own individuals and have them selected to the board’s numerous committees. The source continued, “They don’t know or don’t want to know the board dynamic or the distinction between the board and administration.
The source went on to describe how the former CEO was left unable to take independent action. In addition to a number of other paid and unpaid roles, Dr. Murad intended to appoint a finance manager and a director of domestic cricket. As a result, if Dr. Murad did not follow the rules, the board either compelled him choose the individuals they liked or simply scrapped the concept entirely. In his attempt to establish a high performance framework for the national team in the run-up to the World Cup and beyond, Dr. Murad also encountered harsh criticism. It is claimed that Dr. Murad’s proposal to organize a route leading up to the World Cup, which would have involved playing the National T20 in November, a strength and conditioning program, and bilateral matches against different full member nations, was rejected by the cricket committee. Red tape and cronyism posed the usual obstacles to Dr. Murad’s plans to reform the board’s coaching and umpiring system.
Just a few months before the United States’ inaugural World Cup, the board was rocked by the resignations of strength and conditioning coach Burt Cockley, women’s coordinator Julie Abbott, and development officer Jamie Paul Lloyd.
