2023 was supposed to be a landmark year for American cricket, but instead of that, it was a year of mixed fortunes as Major League Cricket (MLC) began play and the American Premier League (APL) collapsed. The MLC, a glimmer of light for cricket fans in the United States, brought world cricketing heavyweights to the country for its inaugural Twenty20 edition, showcasing the country’s entry into the international cricket scene.
But the APL began to cloud the sport as the year came to an end. The chaotic scenes at Houston’s Moosa Stadium, which signaled a dismal end to the cricket season, were captured on camera and shared on social media and WhatsApp groups. Jay Mir, the owner of the league, was dragged into trouble when a video went viral showing him fighting with the umpires, which made him call the police to come and get the officials off the field. Mir claimed the umpires were infringing on private property when they declined to officiate any more games, citing unpaid dues.
Later footage showed Mir getting into a heated argument with players at the front desk of a hotel. The matches went on despite the chaos, with players serving as on-field umpires and the stadium owner’s brother filling in as an umpire. Notably, the players officiated the games while sporting Air Pods. Cricbuzz reports also indicated that the competition had become a haven for attempts at match-fixing. According to sources, the tournament owner allegedly ordered participants to rig matches, and they got several phone calls pressing them to do so.
To the best of my knowledge, Mir only sold three teams: Australian, Afghan, and Indian. Regarding the other four teams, we never saw any other owners. On condition of anonymity, one of the league’s players told Cricbuzz, “It feels like he put together the other teams by himself.”
The umpire reveals the predicament of the APL
On the Emerging Cricket podcast, Bryan Caine, one of the umpires involved in the Houston dispute, detailed the ordeal. He said that the umpires were guaranteed to get half of their dues by December 22 and that the remaining amount was due prior to the tournament’s last game on December 31. But owner Jay Mir promised to pay on the 25th, but he once again defaulted after failing to fulfill the payment on the 22nd.
On the evening of December 28, the umpires were eventually paid only 20% of what they were due, and on December 29, they were promised another 20%, but it was never fulfilled. The umpires were so frustrated and unpaid that on December 30, they decided to take a strike.
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