Former Nottinghamshire fast bowler Andy Pick has resigned from his post as USACA High Performance Manager, just two months after taking the job.
His resignation comes after a series of incidents that took place at a training cam in Florida ahead of US Cricket’s tour of the UAE, including a qualifier to the ICC World Twenty20.
Pick’s list of reasons for leaving revolve around the selection process for the team to travel to the UAE – with the USACA changing two players from the original 15-man squad submitted to the ICC.
"Following the camp and a number of other issues before and after, culminating with the changing of the final squad after its submission, I felt unable to continue working for USACA," said Pick, in the letter.
"In my brief time there, it became obvious that certain people are not ready for change and structure and are determined to maintain control even if it holds back cricket in the USA and I was not prepared to sacrifice my personal and professional reputation working for these people.”
The training camp in question was held in Fort Lauderdale. After submitting a 15-man squad for the tour, it is said that a request was made to replace Fahad Babar and Ritesh Kadu with Imran Awan and Barrington Bartley. Neither of the two had been invited to the camp, nor had played in the USACA’s three warm-up matches against Bermuda.
"After having decided on 15 and having brought them down to Fort Lauderdale, to then decide on the Sunday night after the camp that they wanted to make two changes and leave two people out, that was it," said Pick.
"That's just no way of going and you can't treat players like that ultimately, not players who you want to go out and give their all, take time off work, leave their families behind.
“You treat them like that but then expect them to be fully committed to the cause. That's just not right.”
During his time with Nottinghamshire, between 1983 and 1997, Pick amassed almost 750 wickets for the county. His best figures came in 1990, when he took 7-128 against Leicestershire.