Legendary Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has expressed his delight as cricket is returning to the Olympic Games after a 128-year hiatus. He highlighted the potential benefits of cricket, adding it will provide a fair chance for the sport to break into the grassroots level in the US, the venue for next Olympics.
He added that the sport’s global popularity will grow beyond established cricketing nations like India, England, and Australia. The 49-year-old expects this will be a highly positive development for the game.
“It can only be a positive thing for our game. I’ve sat on various committees over the last 15 or 20 years, and it’s always been on the top of almost every agenda – how do we get the game back into the Olympics? And finally, it’s there… It’s only four years away. I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.
“The thing about the Olympic Games, it’s not [about] the host nation. It’s about the audience that it opens up. The Olympic Games being viewed by so many people all around the world, it just opens up completely different audiences to our game that’s seemingly growing on a daily basis anyway. It can only be a real positive thing for the game.” he added.
With cricket’s return, the International Cricket Council (ICC) aims to expand cricket’s presence in the US. It is worth noting that they have also hosted the 2026 ICC t20 World Cup. Additionally, the global governing body has faced criticism for using substandard pitches in the US.
Ponting further stated that the infrastructure could be a significant factor in organizing the 2028 Olympic Games.
“Facilities and infrastructure and those things are going to be key and how many teams they actually decide on. I think it’s only six or seven teams that they’re talking about,” the Australian legend said further.
