ICC Bans USA National Cricket League For Violating Playing XI Rules, Preparing Below Standard Pitches

The below-standard pitches compelled pacers like Wahab Riaz and Tymal Mills to bowl spin to avoid harm to the batters.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set a major precedent by banning the National Cricket League in the USA. The league didn’t follow the playing eleven requirements and that is the reason ICC has decided not to sanction the upcoming editions according to a report published by Cricbuzz. According to the report, ICC has written a letter to USA Cricket (USAC) about its decision and cited the non-compliance to the playing eleven requirements. The requirement mentions fielding of 7 USAC-affiliated or associated players but the league violated it according to the ICC.

The NCL gained the attention of cricket fans by roping in greats like Wasim Akram and Vivian Richards as ambassadors of the competition. They also attracted Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar to the ownership group. According to the report, the letter mentioned that there were multiple instances of 6-7 foreign players being fielded in the playing XI. Also, the drop in wickets turned out to be below standard where the likes of Wahab Riaz and Tymal Mills were compelled to bowl spin to avoid bodily harm to the batters.

The USA has emerged as a platform for multiple T10 and T20 leagues in recent times. Around 60 first-class international cricketers are present in the American set-up.

National Cricket League (NCL) kicked off this year in October where six teams participated in the first season of the franchise league played in the T10 format. The tournament included stars like Tim David, Imran Tahir, Angelo Mathews and Shakib Al Hasan. The competition also featured legends of the game like Sanath Jayasuriya and Vivian Richards in coaching role. Chicago CC won the tournament under the leadership of Robin Uthappa.