ICC panics over LA28 Olympics, forms emergency panel, blocks Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s India debut

In a recent development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has formed a Working Group to review global matters ahead of cricket’s return at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This move includes the restructuring of cricket’s formats and outlining the qualification process for the Olympics in the USA.

Cricket is set to return to the Olympics after more than a century, with the T20 format included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. However, with just three years to go, there is still no clarity on how teams will qualify for the six-team event. The ICC has yet to provide any official details on the qualification process.

ICC Working Group to Address LA28 Qualification and Format Structure

According to a report by Cricbuzz, the Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) meeting on July 18 emphasized the need to form a long-delayed Working Group.

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This group, expected to be formed as early as Saturday during the ICC Board meeting, will include members from both the CEC and the Board. Its primary responsibility will be to propose a qualification system for the six-team T20 event at LA28.

While there is strong support among ICC officials and stakeholders for using team rankings to determine Olympic berths, the final decision has been deferred to the soon-to-be-formed Working Group.

ICC Working Group to Explore LA28 Qualification Options

There were informal suggestions to host a qualifying tournament for the 2028 LA Olympics cricket event. However, organizing such an event is not possible due to a congested Future Tours Programme and limited time.

The ICC has tasked the soon-to-be-formed Working Group with evaluating all possible qualification options. If rankings are chosen as the basis, the group will also recommend an appropriate cut-off date. LA28 will feature only six men’s and six women’s teams in the T20 format.

The meeting, chaired by newly appointed CEO Sanjog Gupta, also confirmed that the minimum age for international players will remain 15, but exceptions may be made in special cases. ICC Chair Jay Shah attended the meeting as an ex-officio member. As per the actual rule, young batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is currently aged 14 years and 113 days, will have to wait longer before his India debut.

ICC to Finalize USA Cricket’s Fate Amid Leadership Turmoil

The ICC is preparing to make a crucial decision regarding the future of USA Cricket (USAC), as tensions grow between the governing body and its leadership. A normalization committee, recently sent to the U.S., has reportedly called for the resignation of USAC officials.

The ICC received a directive from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which requires USAC to secure national governing body (NGB) status, a prerequisite for any sport included in the LA28 Games.

The ICC has warned that failure to resolve USAC’s governance issues could lead to the loss of its official recognition and potentially block the U.S. team from competing at the Olympics, a major setback for the sport’s reintroduction on such a global stage.

Also read: Asia Cup 2025: BCCI President to be stripped off, major shift amid India vs Pakistan tensions