Cricket Canada Responds To ICC Membership Suspension, Calls The Decision 'unexpected'

Cricket Canada responds to ICC membership suspension, calls the decision 'unexpected' (Image Source: IANS)

International Cricket Council: After an immediate suspension by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Cricket Canada issued a response calling the ICC's decision "unexpected" but confirmed that it will comply fully with international directives, pivoting toward restructuring its internal governance and financial administration.

The ICC suspended Cricket Canada's membership with immediate effect during its board meeting in Ahmedabad on Monday, citing serious breaches of its membership obligations. But Canadian national representative teams will continue to be eligible to participate in ICC events during the period of suspension.

"The suspension was unexpected, as the Jurist Led Committee has already commenced its work and is scheduled to deliver interim recommendations within two weeks. 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.

In its statement, it gave clarity on the actions taken to address the concerns raised, saying since receiving the 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."

"Cricket Canada’s board has approved and submitted to the ICC a detailed Corrective & Preventative Action Plan (CAPA), which includes: A full Root Cause Analysis of governance and financial control failures; Corrective actions (0–90 days) targeting governance, financial controls, reporting accuracy, and executive structure; Preventative actions (90–180 days) to ensure long term institutional stability, and; A clear timeline for full remediation aligned with ICC compliance expectations.

According to its official statement, the organisation has already established an independent Jurist-Led Committee tasked with driving an investigative and decision-making overhaul.

"A key component of the CAPA is the establishment of an independent jurist-led committee with full investigative and decision making authority. This committee is chaired by Dasha Peregoudova, an eminent Canadian lawyer, former national team athlete, and respected governance advisor. The Committee has unrestricted access to all financial records, authority to interview personnel, and the mandate to deliver interim recommendations within 14 days, a full investigative report within 45 days, and a comprehensive remediation plan," it said in a statement.

According to its official statement, the organisation has already established an independent Jurist-Led Committee tasked with driving an investigative and decision-making overhaul.

Cricket Canada clarified that the core issue does not lie with its current leadership, the board noted, "The irregularities identified by the ICC stem from actions and systemic weaknesses under previous Boards and management. The newly elected Board and current management team are fully committed to rectifying these issues and are implementing comprehensive governance, financial control, and administrative reforms at the earliest possible opportunity."

Article Source: IANS