Protocol Breach
The United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) has concluded its investigation into a breach of team protocols during the ICC Under 19 Division One Tournament in Toronto. USACA Management has interviewed both players involved in the breach, team management and ICC America’s officials. The investigation has found that Steven Taylor (USA Under 19 Captain) and Trevis Ross breached the USA Team Code of Conduct and Team Tour Protocols.
USA under-19 skipper Steven Taylor (top) and Trevis Ross (below) has breached USA Team Code of Conduct and Team Tour Protocols. Photos by Shiek Mohamed
Taylor and Ross have admitted that they breached the USA Under 19 team curfew of 10.00 pm and left the team hotel in Toronto to visit a bar close to the team hotel on Tuesday evening last week. The pair returned to the team hotel at 2.30 am on the Wednesday morning which was a rest day necessitated by the heavy rainfall in Toronto last week.
All USA Players sign a Code of Conduct Agreement with USACA prior to any international tour, which clearly addresses the responsibility of the players in relation to honoring the team curfew set by management and the consumption of alcohol. Both players have admitted that they were derelict in their responsibilities as a representative of United States Cricket.
USACA Management has stripped Taylor of the USA Auty Cup Captaincy and named him twelfth man for the two (2) day match during the upcoming Auty Cup competition that commences in Canada on July 25th. Taylor issued a brief statement;
“I wish to publicly apologize to my team mates, the US coaching staff and to USACA for my actions. They were selfish and do not reflect the behavior that the captain of a national team should display. I feel that I have let myself down and brought dishonor to the game and the US team.
I am hopeful that I can learn from this mistake and make amends on and off the field during the Auty Cup”.
Ross, who did not consume alcohol, but breached the team Code of Conduct by breaching curfew received a formal written warning and had his status with the USACA Under 19 High Performance Programme moved to ‘provisional’ for the next six (6) months. He has also apologized for his actions.
USACA Chief Executive Officer Mr. Darren Beazley spoke from Florida this afternoon; “This incident is regrettable and out of step with the new direction for US cricket. To play cricket for this country is an enormous honor. If we are to progress to a performance based culture in our high performance programmes, all players that represent the US must accept the responsibility that comes with wearing the national colors. Both players have made an error in judgment. The fact that the transgression was not leading into a match day does not excuse the fact that players must give themselves every opportunity to perform at an optimal level, particularly in light of the fact that there was a place in the ICC Under 19 World Cup at stake. Clearly the actions of these players did not align with this objective and are contrary to the USACA Player Code of Conduct and the expectations our sport has of the leader of a US team and a player within that team.
I am confident that Steven and Trevis will learn from this mistake and will respond in the best way possible by performing well in the coming months of the 2013 US cricket season”.
The Captaincy of the USA Auty Cup team will be discussed by USACA Management, coaching staff and National Selectors, with a decision and announcement to be made next week.