USA cricket crisis worsens as USAC files for bankruptcy

US Cricket finds itself in legal trouble at a crucial time in its governance

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The crisis in USA Cricket has deepened, with the USAC initiating bankruptcy proceedings on Wednesday as part of what it said was a structural reorganisation. Terming it as an "aggressive" and "legal" move, the USAC said it was necessary to "ensure the future of American cricket.

The development was made public in a media release where the USAC said it had "voluntarily" filed for the financial reorganisation under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy code. The USAC decision is concerning as it comes about a week since ICC suspended USAC on September 23 for serious breaches of membership criteria.

Communicating the suspension in an email to USAC chairman Venu Pisike on September 23 (accessed by ESPNcricinfo), the ICC chairman Jay Shah had warned USAC to "not take any steps to undermine the ICC or its Normalisation Committee in all aspects of the ICC's work related to the USA, including the LA28 Olympic Games."

However, USAC chief executive officer, Johnathan Atkeison, said in the media release that one of their motives behind the financial restructuring was to also address the ICC suspension. "The decision was not made lightly, but it is the best course of action to secure USA Cricket, and allow it the time and space it needs to successfully reorganize," Atkeison said.

On Tuesday, when four directors questioned why filing for bankruptcy was a priority over discussing the ICC suspension, it is understood Pisike said "there is nothing to discuss."

It is learned those four directors - Nadia Gruny, Atul Rai, Arjun Gona and Kuljeet Singh Nijjar - left the meeting in protest of the proceedings and conduct of the meeting, including what one said was being "muted" by Pisike, before they got the opportunity to complete what they wanted to say.