You may well have received in the mail, an unsigned four page epistle entitled Cricket In the United States. …The piece appears to be a not too subtle attempt to influence the outcome of the USACA elections by rewriting the history of the past four years.

Strangely, although there is a brief reference to an agreement with the USACA, there is no mention of the corporation "Time Out" with which the USACA actually has an agreement, whereas there is mention of "WorldTel" with whom we do not have an agreement....
Much mention is made of Disney however, with a conclusion that the question of holding matches at Disney's Wide World of Sport is a "dead horse".
Whatever one may think of Disney , it is a fact that both the ICC and Disney wanted to stage the first ICC Knock Out or Mini World Cup in America at Orlando. Talks were well advanced with the knowledge of the Board of the USACA, when Disney received a legal threat of action from Time Out's attorneys. The predictable result was that Disney withdrew and ICC was forced to take the event to Dacca.
As we all remember, it was a significant success and had the effect of accelerating the Bangladesh drive for full membership. It also coincidentally made a lot of money for certain promoters who were in a better position to profit from the event being played on the subcontinent.
It is difficult to speculate what benefits might have come the way of US cricket, had the games been held on US soil at a high profile location like ABC Wide World of Sports. What is certain is that we were denied the opportunity to find out by the actions of our own agent. Strange indeed. If that was the end of the story, it would be sad enough, but another chapter was to be written.
We have all recently enjoyed watching the highlights or reading reports of the ICC Knockout held in Kenya, with its gripping if unpredictable outcome.
It is hard to believe, but this event was also scheduled to be held in the United States. Why wasn't it? The USACA board was certainly committed to the venture. Negotiations between ICC, Disney and USACA were halted when it was ascertained that Messrs. Time Out had persuaded two members of the outgoing executive to extend the contract until 2002. This was for the princely consideration of a loan to the Association of $39,000. With the previous litigious record of Time Out, the ICC and Disney did not dare conclude an agreement. Their caution was justified, when-- to make sure the deal was truly dead-- Time Out slapped ICC with a threat of action for 10 million dollars! This threat of action by our own agents when we were trying assist ICC in making the deal was not even discussed with us, or copied to us by Time Out.
Once again, the Knockout was a major boost for the host country, Kenya, and it is hard to see how it would have been anything but extremely good for American cricket had it been held here.
The same unfortunately, cannot be said of the sad India 'A' v Australia 'A' event held rather ill advisedly without any consultation with the full USACA Board. What was the genesis of this sudden rushed attempt to bring first class cricket to America? Certainly not to pull in the crowds, for failure to promote the game locally, or indeed allow any realistic time for promotion, meant 'crowds' in the dozens were the norm. If we look to the political state of the subcontinent at the time, one might well deduce, that this unseemly rush to put on an event, was simply a promoter trying to profit from the media vacuum left by the almost certain cancellation of the Sahara Cup in Toronto. The gamble failed to pay off, due to the easing of tensions between India and Pakistan and the introduction of the West Indies to allow a politically acceptable format for the Sahara to proceed.
Even a small amount of research in Southern California would have raised a red flag to the tournament organizers. The beautiful squares at Woodley have been so woefully maintained, that no amount of last minute preparation could produce a playable ODI wicket. Add to this, the prospect of starting games at 8.00 am and the absence of even credible spectator interest is understandable. Nevertheless, the event went ahead with the dreadful embarrassment of world class cricketers trying to cope with unplayable conditions, trying to put on a good show without getting hurt.
With the Sahara Cup filling the airwaves, advertisers pulling out, spectators staying away and players ducking for cover, there is little wonder the promoter lost a lot of money. To suggest that this is in some way the obligation of the USACA or in some way to the benefit of the USACA is of course absurd.
...A complete package of all correspondence is available on request, as are the Time Out agreement and extension.
For 8 months the [USACA] executive requested a meeting with Mr. Packer time and again. When he at last rejected the executive and 'called a meeting of the board' in New York, it was unfortunately not convenient for most members of the executive, and even most members of the board. We have still not received a meaningful accounting from Time Out nor had a substantive meeting with them after a year in office. This is certainly a matter which needs to be addressed at the forthcoming EGM.
In truth, we all share …the dream to see the United States take its place in the global cricket community. We feel it has to be when we have earned that success by producing young American cricketers of the right caliber to make us worthy of a place in that community. That means real work on infrastructure, coaching and promotion, a long term plan and the patience and resources to implement it.

Michael Miller, Treasurer, USACA