Ricky Ponting Says Return Of Cricket At Olympics In 2028 'Will Open Game To New Audience'

Cricket was officially included in the Olympics last year during International Olympic Committee's 141st session in Mumbai. 2028 Olympics will mark the return of cricket to the Summer Games after 128 years.

“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," Ponting said during The ICC Review.

“It's only four years away. I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US. But the thing about the Olympic Games, it's not the host nation. It's about the audience that it opens up," the former Australian skipper said.

The most successful captain in international cricket, Ponting believes that the inclusion of the sport in Olympics will bring new audience to the sport.

“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.

The entry of cricket into the United States did not financially help the International Cricket Council as the world body suffered huge losses. The pitch at New York venue was also under scrutiny as a sting of low scores were witnessed at the ground. However, the matches were really close despite being low-scoring. Ponting said that the infrastructure in Los Angeles will be key.

“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," he continued.

"So, qualification is going to be at a premium -- how you actually qualify to get into the Olympic Games.

“So all those things to think about, I'm really excited about where the game's headed and the growth of different markets that we're seeing emerge."

Cricket has only featured once at the Olympics way back in 1900 in Paris. Only two teams -- Great Britain and France -- took part in the cricket competition with the former winning the gold medal.