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The International Cricket Council has increased the total membership as they have also granted Associate Membership to the Mauritius Cricket Federation (MCF). According to a report in Cricbuzz, he also made it clear that he has no intention of reducing the ODI format to 40 overs.
With the joining of Mauritius Cricket Federation, the number of associate members has increased to 99 and the number of full-time members to 12.
Jay Shah led ICC took many important decisions in the meeting
On Sunday, under the chairmanship of Jay Shah, the ICC took several important decisions regarding the membership of cricket boards around the world. The inclusion of a new cricket board reflects the council’s objective of spreading the game around the world. But they are adamant on the suspension of USA Cricket (USAC) and Cricket Canada (CC).
The cricket governing bodies of the United States and Canada are suspended while the future of French cricket is in danger. The ICC took these decisions during its annual conference in Edinburgh.
According to media reports, the council discussed the future of the USA and Canada cricket boards to ease the situation for them. After discussion, the officials decided to continue the suspension on both these cricket boards. The ICC’s stance against USAC is significant in view of the LA28 Olympics.
“The ICC also discussed the situation involving federations in the US and Canada at length, but in the end, the world body’s administrators decided to maintain the status quo. The importance of restoring USAC membership was recognised, especially in the context of the LA28 Olympics, but the decision has been deferred,” Cricbuzz said in its report on July 12.
Why does Canada cricket remain suspended?
The National Cricket Board is suspended from September 2025. It is understood that the situation is different for Cricket Canada, as it is unclear why the ICC has kept the board under suspension. According to reports, the board needs to resolve some internal issues.
“The Canada issue is less clear. Cricket Canada will have to address some internal issues, the details of which are unclear,” a Cricket Canada source told the media house. ICC suspends Cricket Canada for breach of membership obligations.
The move taken by the council was a big blow to the country, as cricket was one of the growing sports in recent times. The country’s cricket governing body was accused of corruption, coercion and evidence of match-fixing.
“In recent months, Canada’s cricket governing body CBC has been the subject of explosive allegations from the Fifth Estate, its investigative arm. The show said its extensive investigation found evidence of corruption, coercion, match-fixing and other misconduct within Cricket Canada,” The Guardian reported more than a month ago.
WTC will remain with 9 teams
Media reports have also indicated that the allegations against the cricket board may be linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. In recent days, the Canadian federal government designated the gang a terrorist entity. There was suspicion that some well-known people of Canadian cricket might be in contact with this gang.
In another important development, ICC mentioned that they currently have no immediate plans to expand World Test Championship (WTC) 12 teams comprising Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland.