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Cricket may be in 2028 Olympics, 2022 Commonwealth Games


Bangladeshpost
Published : 14 Aug 2019 08:25 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 08:08 AM

The International Cricket Council (ICC) was hopeful that cricket would make it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Marylebone Cricket Club's World Cricket Committee chairman Mike Gatting commented on the matter on Monday, report agencies.
Gatting also went on to say that ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney assured the MCC's Cricket Committee about the strong progress that has been made to give the game a global platform.

"We were talking with Manu Sawhney the ICC chief exec, and he was very hopeful we can get cricket into the 2028 Olympics. That's what they're working towards at the moment and that would be a huge bonus for cricket worldwide, it would be fantastic," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Gatting as saying.

Gatting also reiterated that the two-week period that the Olympics encompasses, makes it a very viable option even amidst the busy international schedules. "It's two weeks, that's a good thing about it, it's not a month, so it's one of those events where scheduling for two weeks should be fine once every four years once you do the first one. You're going to have - one hopes - a four-year period, once you know you've been accepted into the Olympics, that gives you a chance to actually shape your two weeks, so it's not as if it is butted into the schedule," Gatting said.

Women’s T20 cricket was also included on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games on Tuesday. Eight teams will compete across eight match days, as cricket returns to the Commonwealth Games for the first time since 1998, when South Africa won the gold medal in a men's 50-over format competition in Kuala Lumpur. Edgbaston, the venue of England's semi-final victory over Australia in the men's 50-over World Cup, will play host to all the matches. The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place in England from July 27 to August 7.

Cricket is set to make a reappearance at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) for the upcoming edition - Birmingham 2022 - with the top eight international women's teams from among countries that come under the Commonwealth ambit competing in the T20 format over eight days, with all matches taking place at Edgbaston.

The game, then in the 50-over format, last featured in the CWG back in 1998, in Kuala Lumpur, with South Africa winning the gold medal after beating Australia in the final by four wickets. "Today is an historic day and we are delighted to welcome the sport of cricket back to the Commonwealth Games," Dame Louise Martin, president of the CWG Federation, said in a statement.
The ICC will lend support to the federation by overseeing the staging of the competition, apart from providing match officials.
The growth of the game and it's increasing popularity were major factor in the first-ever standalone ICC Women's World T20 being staged in the Caribbean last November, with another edition set to be held in Australia in March 2020.

"This is a truly historic moment for women's cricket and for the global cricket community, who were united in their support of this bid," ICC's chief executive Manu Sawhney said. "Women's cricket continues to go from strength to strength, and we are delighted and honoured the Commonwealth Games Associations voted to include Women's T20 cricket at Birmingham 2022.

"Fast and exciting, the T20 format is the perfect fit for the Commonwealth Games and offers another chance to showcase women's cricket on the global stage as part of our ambitious plans to accelerate the growth of the game, whilst inspiring the next generation of cricketers. All the players who are lucky enough to compete at Birmingham 2022 will be part of a truly memorable experience."