Three African Countries Eye ICC Associate Status

Three African countries will apply to become Associate members of the International Cricket Council later this year.

Burkina Faso, Mauritius and Burundi are all planning to submit the relevant paperwork with the ICC’s membership committee before December’s deadline.

The trio had hoped to be considered by the governing body at this year’s ICC Annual General Meeting.

However, none of the three countries were able to progress further with their applications due to various administrative queries raised by the ICC.

At last weekend’s AGM in Singapore the ICC increased their total number of members to 110 after Zambia and Timor-Leste were both given Associate status.

Zambia were expelled by the ICC in 2021 for problems relating to their governance but have now been readmitted.

The ICC said after their AGM that USA Cricket will “remain on notice” amid ongoing membership compliance concerns.

USA Cricket was at serious risk of being suspended by the ICC, which would have resulted in a cut to central funding and the United States’ men’s and women’s sides barred from ICC events.

USA Cricket has addressed five of the eight issues flagged by the ICC relating to governance, finance and administration.

Rather than an outright suspension the ICC have opted to give USA Cricket more time to resolve remaining issues with the caveat that the global governing body’s board “reserve the right to take such actions as it deems appropriate”.

One key area Cricket USA are under pressure to address is satisfying the criteria laid out by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee for National Governing Body status.

NGB status is required for a sport to take place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games were cricket is due to return after an absence of 128 years.