The International Cricket Council (ICC) has halted all scheduled payments to Cricket Canada for the next six months, citing ongoing governance lapses. Officials in Toronto were told of the funding freeze earlier this week, a move that immediately places almost two-thirds of the board’s annual income on hold.
According to Cricket Canada’s most recent accounts, CAD 3.6 million of its CAD 5.7 million revenue for 2024 arrived via ICC distributions. That level of dependence means day-to-day business will tighten, though the ICC has indicated that “cricket activity, including high-performance programmes”, should continue as planned. In other words, training camps and age-group tours are safe for now, but belt-tightening in administration is likely.
The exact breaches remain under wraps. Canada’s public broadcaster, through its investigative show Fifth Estate, spoke of “breaches of ICC policies, including concerns over Cricket Canada’s governance and lack of financial oversight.” Neither the ICC nor Cricket Canada was willing to flesh out the detail on Thursday, but the broad themes match issues that have dogged the board for more than a year.
One thread runs back to the men’s T20 World Cup. Canada’s pool match against New Zealand is being reviewed by the ICC’s anti-corruption and integrity unit (ACU). A second ACU inquiry looks at a leaked recording involving then head coach Khurram Chohan, who alleged that senior – now departed – administrators pressured him to pick specific players and, in the same call, suggested attempts to influence matches.
Last month, ACU interim head Andrew Ephgrave underlined the ICC’s stance: “Governance matters in relation to ICC Members are considered by the ICC, where they fall under its jurisdiction, in accordance with the ICC’s standard constitutional processes.”
Internal turnover has hardly helped. Former chief executive Salman Khan was hired and then pushed out after earlier, undisclosed criminal charges surfaced. Calgary Police have since laid theft and fraud counts against him; Khan denies wrongdoing. In April, long-time administrator Arvinder Khosa stepped up as interim president when Amjad Bajwa resigned, and was formally elected to the post at last weekend’s annual general meeting.
That AGM, held 9–10 May, was billed as the start of a “governance transformation initiative.” A nine-person board was voted in, tasked with tidying financial controls, rewriting selection policies and mending the board’s relationship with grassroots leagues that have grown restless. Barely 48 hours later the ICC letter landed.
The funding pause is not a suspension of membership – Canada retains Associate status and remains eligible for all ICC tournaments – but it does place a microscope on how the board spends whatever money it still has coming in from sponsorships, provincial grants and domestic competitions.
One former Canadian international, speaking off the record, reckons the lull might be useful. “It forces everyone to show their hands. If you can’t pass a basic audit, you probably shouldn’t be running cricket.”
Cricket Canada, through media manager Jimmy Sharma, insists the new directors welcome that scrutiny. “The current Board has inherited these issues and is fully committed to resolving all governance, compliance, and financial control deficiencies.”
Next steps? The ICC typically appoints an external auditor and sets targets – new bylaws, independent directors, transparent tender processes – before funds resume. Officials on both sides expect that process to run until at least November. In the meantime, Canada’s men prepare for July’s Americas T20 qualifier and the women eye the regional series in August. The players, as usual, just want to bat and bowl; the administrators have rather more paperwork to keep them occupied.
