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- Series of decisions looked to strengthen governance, support women’s cricket, enhance global competition structures
On Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, the day of the Indian Premier League final in Ahmedabad, the International Cricket Council conducted board meetings in the same city. According to the subsequent press release, the outcome was “a series of decisions aimed at strengthening governance, supporting women’s cricket, enhancing global competition structures and fostering innovation in the game.”
We should all applaud those headline intentions, but what lies behind them needs to be unpicked.
Starting with women’s cricket, it is mainly good news. A Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy 2026 will be piloted as a 10-team event featuring five full members and five associate members. This marks a change from the inaugural edition in Bangkok in November 2025, when it was limited to eight associate nations. The Thai team, which won the tournament on net run rate, will be hoping to be included, as will the four teams which were placed behind Thailand — the UAE, Netherlands, Scotland and Papua New Guinea. The inclusion of full member teams is aimed at providing developing players with increased exposure against stronger opposition. It also reflects an attempt to provide wider opportunities for international women’s cricket beyond traditional global events.
The qualification pathway for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028, to be hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board, was endorsed. It will be a 12-team event, with automatic qualification for 10 teams. The other two will emerge from a 10-team global qualifier. India’s matches will be played at a neutral venue under the hybrid model. A change was approved to the window for the four-yearly ICC Women’s Champions Trophy 2027, moving the tournament from June-July to Feb. 14-28, 2027. This is the inaugural edition of an eight-team tournament, due to be hosted by Sri Lanka. The change of dates, for which no reason has been given, means a clash with New Zealand’s tour to Australia. Although a recommendation to establish a global qualifier for associate members in Men’s T20 World Cups was approved, the intention to enhance global competition structures applies mainly to the women’s game.
One of the ICC’s other aims, to strengthen governance, relates to one of those associates, Canada. Its men’s team qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup, hosted in India and Sri Lanka in February. This was a historic achievement which realized the dreams of players and their families in a country where grassroots cricket has flourished dramatically in recent years. But beneath that success lurked unpalatable behaviors.
Many an eyebrow was raised when, five weeks before the tournament began, a new 23-year-old captain was installed in place of more experienced contenders. During Canada’s third World Cup match, one of his deliveries was deemed to be a no-ball for overstepping the crease. This raised more eyebrows. He is a spinner and a feature of this style of bowling is a measured, deliberate one. It is understood that, after the match, he was summoned for questioning by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit and had his phone searched.
Dig deeper and the situation gets worse. Since 1975, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has aired a program titled “The Fifth Estate.” It is Canada’s premier investigative documentary program. On April 17, 2026, it published a report based on investigations into Cricket Canada that alleged corruption, threats, intimidation, match and spot-fixing. In addition, there is the possible involvement in team selection of a violent criminal gang, which is designated a terrorist entity in Canada and operates out of a prison cell in India.
Based on direct sources, “The Fifth Estate” reported that, in July 2025, a Canadian national team player was taken aside at a restaurant. He was told that if he did not support the rise of a certain young player and another player on a men’s provincial team and the national team, he and his family would face consequences. He subsequently received death threats written in Hindi. As if this was not concerning enough, a group of Canadian provincial cricket bodies filed a petition in British Colombia’s Supreme Court in December 2025. They claimed that because of “governance concerns” and “lack of proper financial controls” it was necessary to hold a special vote on the leadership and remove four directors from CC, including the president and vice president.
In March 2026, Justice David Crerar ordered the vote to go ahead, which led to a change of president. In a damning ruling, the judge described CC and the provincial cricket organizations as being engaged in “multiple civil wars,” and said the “machinations and squabbles before the court appear to be driven at least in part by the egos and ambitions of certain named individuals.” If the ICC thought that a change at the top would bring improvement, it has not occurred. Most recently, on May 20, the home of the newly elected CC president was the target of a shooting.
Whether this influenced the ICC’s decision to suspend CC from ICC membership with immediate effect is unknown. It cited “serious breaches of its membership obligations.” The judge had also criticized the parties involved for spending taxpayer money on lawyers instead of spending it on developing the game. It is not just taxpayer money which is involved. In its 2024 financial report, CC disclosed that it had received just over CA$3.6 million from the ICC, almost two-thirds of its revenue. In order to protect this funding, the ICC will allow CC to have access to it via a controlled funding mechanism and with the oversight of ICC management. This relates solely to approved national team programs and seeks to protect the interests of Canadian players. They will continue to be eligible to participate in ICC events during the suspension.
There are other layers to this sorry saga that include an air of insouciance in CC’s reaction. Its leaders said that the ICC’s decision was unexpected as they were addressing the governance issues, which are blamed on previous regimes. On June 1, the ICC announced the appointment of Dr. Ros Rivaz as its independent director. She has a strong record of board governance, which is sorely needed in cricket’s increasingly wild-west environment.
In comparison with the serious governance issues, the ICC board’s final intention in its statement was to foster innovation in the game. One proposal was to trial the switch of the red ball to a pink one in Test matches if bad light occurs. Both teams must agree prior to the series. So far, the proposal has not been greeted with enthusiasm because of the quite different circumstances that the pink ball can induce.
There was one other surprise ICC announcement. Concern was expressed regarding the growing expanse of franchise cricket. A committee will be formed to assess the harmonization of franchise cricket with the international calendar within the current structure. A natural reaction is to think that the horse has bolted.
