April 26, 2012

What Next for US Cricket?

What happens next in the soap opera that is US Cricket is best posed as a set of questions with partial and ever-shifting answers.

  1. Does ICC now recognize the USACA elections despite widespread concern that it has been rigged?   To do so, ICC must be convinced that the elections cannot be undone which if it were to occur down the road will be a PR disaster for ICC and its US investors.
  2. Does the new USACA Board with its absolute majority for the Dainty faction amend the Constitution to ensure a "long life hereafter?"  One would expect that this would be what they would like to do first.  After all, when else will they get a chance to pass whatever changes to the Constitution now that they have an absolute majority.  However, if ICC is showing mixed feelings towards this regime, they may not try it hastily.
  3. Does the USACA Board then bring back many disenfranchised leagues now that their vote cannot hurt them?  They have to.  ICC expects them to "serve" all cricketers in the US not just the chosen few.   The money that ICC hands out is also linked to the number of cricketers.  Now that the election is over, expect USACA to setup a process to get leagues to be compliant (which they always were as most would argue.)
  4. Do disenfranchised leagues refuse to pay their dues to USACA given that doing so didn't quite get them a right-to-vote and worse most of it was used for legal actions? Some wont because they are sufficiently upset/had enough/annoyed, but many others will pay the dues to not be on the outside so to speak.  It will be ironic when the leagues that couldn't vote do pay their dues.  USACA is betting on it and from rumors are some are already lining up to pay their dues to their masters.
  5. Do disenfranchised leagues band together and form a rebel organization and stay united against USACA?   They will try but they have to deal with repeated unity crisis as USACA exploits the private agendas of each league to the fullest.  Again, USACA is betting on it.
  6. Does Vardarajan and company take USACA to court this time in a full-fledged lawsuit given that the injunction to stop the elections were denied and league appeals fell on deaf ears?  Unclear now that the election is over if Vardarajan will have the appetite to keep fighting.  He is not a member of USACA so it is hard to fight from outside.  But what he did so far is commendable - put money where his mouth is and but for the oddly conservative Judge Koh, he may have helped finally push Dainty and company out of their comfort zone and possibly into oblivion.   Would have been nice.






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