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The International Cricket Council has reportedly refused to sanction the National Cricket League of USA for not following playing XI rules.
NCL roped in some big names to attaract the attention of fans. (AFP Photo)
The ICC has reportedly refused to sanction USA’s National Cricket League for future editions for not adhering to its playing XI rules, according to a report. The NCL created waves by announcing association with some of the biggest names from the world of cricket including Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Wasim Akram among others to attract the attention of fans.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, NCL has been banned for fielding six to seven foreign players on several instances which is against its guidelines for sanctioning T20 and T10 leagues. As per the ICC guidelines for approving leagues, each team should have a minimum of seven local domestic or associate players in their playing XI.
The likes of Tendulkar and Gavaskar were said to have joined its ownership group. However, the league is said to have been plagued by a host of operational issues including quality of drop-in pitches that saw Tymal Mills and Wahab Riaz resorting to spin bowling to avoid hurting batters.
Additionally, there also serious allegations against NCL of flouting US immigration laws as per Cricbuzz. As per the publication, NCL may have permitted few players to enter USA on tourist visas to minimise expenditure.
To play in leagues in USA, athletes are required to obtain specific visas like P1 or O1. The price of these can reach up to USD 6,000 per player.
If true, this could result in the players entering USA being penalised ranging from legal to financial and even deportation.
