Cricket is ready to make its long-awaited return to the Olympic Video games in 2028, with the game’s inclusion after 128 years producing pleasure throughout the globe. Steve Waugh, the previous Australian cricket captain who led his workforce to World Cup glory in 1999, not too long ago shared his ideas on cricket’s return to the marquee sporting occasion.
Steve Waugh on Cricket’s Olympic return and ambitions of a specific nation
The final time cricket was a part of the Olympics was in 1900 when Nice Britain defeated France by 158 runs to win the gold medal. With India setting its sights on Olympic gold in Los Angeles, Waugh has identified that there’s one other formidable challenger, China, who has already begun making ready for the competitors.
Waugh, in an interview, revealed that China wasted no time in establishing a aggressive cricket workforce after cricket’s inclusion within the 2028 Olympic roster.
“As quickly as cricket’s inclusion within the Olympics was introduced, China began constructing a workforce. They’re critical about successful gold,” Waugh was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Instances.
Whereas T20 cricket grabs essentially the most consideration, Waugh additionally defended the significance of One-Day Internationals (ODIs), which have come underneath scrutiny lately because of the fast rise of T20 leagues.
He referred to the ODI World Cup because the “Olympics of cricket,” emphasizing its world significance. “World Cup is important for one-day cricket. It’s just about the Olympics, to play (the World Cup) each 4 years,” Waugh concluded, reinforcing the concept the 50-over format nonetheless holds nice worth in world cricket.
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One of many strongest contingents to the Olympics
China’s pursuit of Olympic gold in cricket aligns with their broader sporting technique. Recognized for sending one of many strongest contingents to the Olympics, China is ranked seventh within the all-time Olympic medal tally, with a complete of 804 medals. Their ambition in cricket displays their drive to diversify their sporting achievements. With cricket turning into a focus of their preparations for the 2028 Olympics, will probably be attention-grabbing to see how China’s rising cricket workforce measures as much as established cricketing powers like India, Australia and England in Los Angeles.
China have solely not too long ago began taking part in aggressive cricket, with their debut look within the ACC Trophy Problem 2009 in opposition to Iran and their first T20I match in 2023 in opposition to Malaysia, they’ve proven rising curiosity within the sport. China have already performed 11 T20I matches, successful 2 and dropping 9, and their ambition to safe a medal in cricket may considerably shake up the Olympic cricket scene.
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