ICC suspends Cricket Canada's membership with immediate effect

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Cricket Canada's membership over the violation of its obligations as an associate member, just a month after the global body's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) had launched investigations into allegations of corruption.

According to international media, despite the apex body suspending Cricket Canada's membership with immediate effect during its Board meeting in Ahmedabad on Sunday, the Canadian national teams would remain eligible to participate in ICC events.

Furthermore, the ICC would continue funding Cricket Canada through a controlled mechanism to prevent players from being adversely affected by the administrative issues.

The apex body also laid a set of reinstatement conditions for Cricket Canada, aimed at addressing governance and administrative shortcomings, the progress of which will be monitored by the ICC's Normalisation Committee.

"The ICC board resolved to suspend Cricket Canada from ICC membership with immediate effect due to serious breaches of its membership obligations," the global body said in a statement a day ⁠after a meeting in Ahmedabad.

"Cricket Canada will have to follow a set of conditions, aimed at fixing its governance and administrative issues, to restore membership.

"The progress against these conditions will be ⁠monitored by the ICC normalisation committee, supported by ICC management, with reinstatement of membership subject to the board being satisfied that the conditions have ⁠been fully met."

For the unversed, the allegations of corruption within Cricket Canada were first brought to public attention through a Canadian investigative documentary titled Corruption, Crime and Cricket, which raises serious concerns about governance and integrity within the body.

One of the central claims related to Canada's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 match against New Zealand.

The documentary highlighted scrutiny over the fifth over of the Blackcaps' chase, bowled by Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa, during which he conceded 15 runs, including a no-ball and a wide.

A separate strand of the investigation concerned a leaked telephonic conversation involving former head coach Khurram Chohan, in which he alleged that senior Cricket Canada officials pressured him to select certain players for the national side.

The documentary also included allegations from another former head coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, who claimed he faced undue pressure over squad selections ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Dassanayake alleged he was threatened with contract termination after refusing to include certain players and was then pursuing legal action against Cricket Canada for wrongful dismissal.

Notably, Cricket Canada has experienced significant administrative instability over the past year, including controversy surrounding former chief executive Salman Khan, whose appointment drew ICC scrutiny over undisclosed prior criminal charges.

He has since been charged by Calgary Police with theft and fraud, allegations he denies. Arvinder Khosa was recently elected as the new board president, replacing Amjad Bajwa.