Cricket is going to make a stunning comeback at the LA 2028 Olympics after a long hiatus, since the game was last featured in 1900. While the news of ‘Cricket Returns to the Olympics’ is doing the rounds, the controversy over the number of teams qualifying for the games has raised alarm and a few eyebrows, with Pakistan playing the victim card for their non-selection.

Introduction

Cricket will be part of the games in the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

• The games will be played in the T20 format
• It will feature both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
• The Squads for each team will be of 15 players each.
• Only Six Teams are scheduled to be part of the Olympic Games for the men’s and women’s events.
• As the Olympic Games have a limited window of days, the shortest format (T20) in cricket has received the green signal, which will help create the required noise and viewership.
• India, Australia, Great Britain, South Africa, Host America and a spot reserved for a team from the non-selected teams.

The game of cricket played since the mid-16th Century, has failed to grow like other sports globally, being largely limited to the Commonwealth. The Olympics could be a perfect platform for the game to put itself on the global stage.

What were the criteria for the qualification of the Six Teams?

The qualification of the six teams has already created a lot of negative press from countries that have missed out on the qualification.

Continental Representation

According to sources, the Olympic representation was based on continental representation rather than on ranking order, which has opened up a huge debate on the rationale behind the same.

Teams that are top-ranked from each continent qualify automatically ( not necessarily in the order of global ranking amongst all teams playing the game).

Regions considered include Asia (India), Oceania (Australia), Europe (Great Britain), Africa (South Africa), and America (USA- Host).

USA – The Host

Being the host, the United States men’s national cricket team (USA) becomes the automatic qualifier.

The Sixth Team (Final Spot) – Not yet announced/decided

For the sixth team, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Olympic Committee may need to decide the team on a wildcard basis or through a competition or through rankings before the cutoff date.

The upcoming T20 World Cup could be one way to decide the sixth team for both the men’s and women’s teams.

Why are there only 6 teams?

The Olympic ideal, which pushes a global coverage of all sports, requires to have equal representation from all continents. This disallows an overcrowding of teams from one continent and ensures equal representation continent-wise (For example, Asia has more cricket-playing nations).

A smaller group can fit into the small Olympic window game schedule.

Teams Qualified for the Olympics

• Asia: India is currently the most dominating team, and with the recent Asia Cup success and India’s dominance in Asian cricket, India was the obvious choice.
• Oceania: Australia
• Europe: England may have a combined team which includes the UK/ Scotland, and Ireland, making it a Great Britain Team.
• Africa: South Africa
• America: USA team (Host)

• The 6^th Spot.

Pakistan – Playing the Victim Card

With only 6 teams in the Olympics and only 1 team from Asia, Pakistan is now playing the victim card, knowing that arch-rival India has a shot at the Olympics, and they don’t. They have started showing their discontent with many Pakistani YouTube channels, even accusing India of getting favourable treatment for getting selected.

Why the Pakistan Victim Card narrative is not justified

• India is the current World Champions and the 1-ranked T20 side team in the world.
• Pakistan is one of the lowest-ranked Cricket teams amongst the top playing teams and is currently at No. 7 in the ICC ranking.
• Their recent performances have been abysmal and inconsistent
• Pakistan cricket crazy fans truly believe that they are a top team, but have lost out on being selected as India was the obvious choice. This argument is factually incorrect.
• Pakistan news channels have criticised the regional continental format as unfair.
• The Victim card is also not justified, as the qualification model was communicated well in advance when cricket was originally considered for the Olympics

Pakistan still can enter the Olympics through the Wild card route, provided they have a better ranking before the cutoff date or win the qualifier tournament, if held by the ICC.

While other equally competitive teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or Afghanistan have not yet commented on the qualification criterion, they too may hope to improve their chances for qualification as the 6^th Team.

While playing the victim card, Pakistan can rally its fan base, but in the long run, only actual results and not just narratives will improve its chances.

How will participation in the Olympics improve Cricket ?

Cricket, currently played by a handful of countries, has been desperate to make the game global. Shorter formats and easier access to the game have allowed the game to be recognised in the Olympics. With more countries witnessing the game can trigger more participation in the future, which can help the game get more exposure and new markets, especially in America.

Summary

Pakistan’s Victim card optics cannot absolve their poor performance. While the qualification methodology can be questioned, the re-entry of cricket into the Olympics is a huge step for the growth of the game. The Six Team structure may see corrections in the Olympics that follow the LA 2028 games.

The return of the game is a watershed moment for the game and presents a huge opportunity for the game’s future.  Cricket will not have a bigger global platform than the Olympics and will help the game reach new markets and fans.

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