Ricky Ponting, the former Australian cricketer, felt excited about the return of cricket to the Olympics during an exclusive interview with the International Cricket Council (ICC). The 49-year-old stated that the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics can only be a positive thing for the game while appreciating the work done behind the scenes to get it into this position.
Notably, during the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai in October 2023, the inclusion of cricket at the Olympics was confirmed, starting in 2028. In the upcoming LA Olympic Games, cricket will join four other sports, namely baseball/softball, flag football, lacrosse, and squash, as proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee.
Recently, there have been a few cricket pundits who have felt that the inclusion of cricket at the Olympics won’t make much of a difference for the sport, but Ricky Ponting is excited about what’s in store in four years. On the ICC Review show, he said, “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.”
Olympic Games is about the audience that it opens up: Ricky Ponting
The former ODI World Cup winner spoke about how including cricket at the LA Olympics 2028 could help the sport grow in the USA with the Major League Cricket (MLC) at the forefront of it. Ricky Ponting said, “It’s only four years away. Once again, in the US by that stage, hopefully, with MLC (Major League Cricket), another four years down the track hopefully growing. Who knows, there might even be more teams in the MLC by then.”
“I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US. But the thing about the Olympic Games, I mean, it’s not the host nation. It’s about the audience that it opens up,” he added.
Ricky Ponting took Washington Freedom to their first MLC title as their head coach after defeating San Francisco Unicorns in the final last month.