Lack of ICC support hurting USA: Shayan

CHENNAI: The ongoing men’s T20 World Cup has been defined by one recurring plot: Associate nations refusing to roll over against the ‘big boys’.In the wake of these results, the Associate teams have begun pressing for regular fixtures against Full Member nations.On Thursday, USA batter Shayan Jahangir didn’t mince words while stating that the team has not received the kind of exposure and financial backing it needs from the ICC.It is to be noted that the ICC had taken over the welfare of USA players in the national set-up in Dec last year, including a key commitment to pro-vide financial support.Earlier, in Sept, the ICC had suspended USA Cricket (USAC) for serious breaches of the ICC Membership Criteria, with the board grappling with a severe governance and financial crisis. Things aren’t rosy on the field either. Two defeats on the bounce have pushed USA to the edge, and Friday’s clash against the Netherlands at the MA Chidambaram Stadium will decide their fate.A defeat will shut the door on their Super-8 hopes.“The exposure and the kind of funding that we also get from ICC are simply not enough. We’ve been given the tag of an Associate nation but we are nothing short of a great team. We gave India a good contest. We haven’t been nurtured properly,” said the Paki-stan-born Jahangir.“It’s all our players who are putting in the hard yards without financial resources, without infrastructure. I think if ICC pays more attention to all the Associates, you’ll see more big games,” he added.According to the ICC schedule, USA play only 12 matches a year.“I think it has a lot to do with the funding as well. If we have that funding from the ICC… it’s a request from us to really look into it. I’m telling you, there’s so much talent in Associate cricket. There are so many cricketers who are so good but not given the exposure. There’s this one guy from Nepal and he had scored a nine-ball half-century.”