USACA challenges ICC authority in CPL issue

The USA Cricket Association has asked for the cancellation of the six Caribbean Premier League matches to be played in Florida from July 28 to 31. They claim the CPL and Broward County in Lauderhill did not receive proper sanctioning to host the event.

However, ICC head of global development Tim Anderson pointed out that USACA did not have the authority to sanction matches since it had been suspended in 2015 and said the CPL fixtures were okay to go ahead as planned.

"Please be assured that the CPL has indeed completed the due sanctioning process required by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in order to host these matches in Florida," Anderson wrote to WICB president Dave Cameron and the Lauderhill officials. "The USA Cricket Association (USACA) is currently suspended by the ICC, and as part of this suspension does not hold the right to sanction such matches in the USA."

The uncertainty began when USACA's legal representative and former executive secretary Kenwyn Williams emailed Broward County Parks manager Duncan Finch that the CPL officials had not followed protocol to host matches in Florida.

"We understand that the CPL is slated to hold several cricket matches over several days at the Central Broward Regional Park," Williams wrote on June 13. "The organisers of the CPL matches did not apply for and receive the requisite sanctions for holding the slated matches in the United States. We request that you cancel the scheduled events until further notice."

The Broward County officials, though, are proceeding with plans to ready the stadium for the CPL games next month.

Lauderhill Mayor Richard Kaplan had stated that the city had plans to host several other events at the $70 million Central Broward Regional Park, which opened in 2008. According to Kaplan, those plans were regularly undermined by USACA and the mayor approached the ICC in 2013 for help with the matter.