“It just opens up the game to completely new audiences….”: Ponting on cricket in Olympics

New Delhi [India], August 11 (ANI): Former Australian skipper and batter Ricky Ponting said that the re-introduction of cricket into the Olympics during the 2028 Los Angeles edition of the competition will open the sport to new audiences and he is excited to see where the game is headed in terms of its growth in different markets.

Cricket’s return to the Olympics has been a long time coming. Last featured in the Games in 1900, the sport is set to make its long-awaited comeback after 128 years at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, as per ICC.

Cricket was among the five additional sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee for inclusion alongside baseball-softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially confirmed cricket’s inclusion at the 141st IOC Session held in Mumbai in October 2023.

Speaking with host Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, Ponting said he was excited by cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics and the opportunity for the game to reach new audiences on a truly global stage.

“It can only be a positive thing for our game,” Ponting said as quoted by ICC.

“I have sat on various committees over the last 15 or 20 years and it is always been on the top of almost every agenda – how do we get the game back into the Olympics? And finally, it is there.”

“It is 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 is not the host nation. It is 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 is seemingly growing on a daily basis anyway. It can only be a real positive thing for the game.”

“Facilities and infrastructure and those things are going to be key and how many teams they actually decide on. I think it is only six or seven teams that they are talking about. 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 am really excited about where the game is headed and the growth of different markets that we are seeing emerge,” he concluded.

Ponting has recently spent several months in the USA, the host nation for the 2028 Olympics.

He first served as a commentator for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and later took on the role of head coach for the Washington Freedom, who clinched the Major League Cricket title in the recently concluded edition.

During his time in the USA, Ponting has gained a greater understanding of the game’s potential there. He also highlighted how cricket can leverage the fanbase of baseball, the leading bat-and-ball sport in the USA, to attract attention and boost its popularity.

“And the way that I sort of try and compare the two is we have all been to games of Major League Baseball. Huge events, the bat and ball game that Americans are growing up with and that game goes for four hours and through the history of the game, there’s less than one home run scored in every game,” said Ponting.

“So when you compare baseball to what the excitement and entertainment package that T20 cricket brings, then it should be a reasonably easy sell to the young kids in the US.”

“So that would be the angle that I would be certainly pushing is just the excitement factor that comes with the game. And I think if they do that, then I think it is very sustainable. There are huge opportunities for growth, even with the Indian investment in MLC and how keen they are to stay involved and make it big and turn Washington Freedom into a household name in world cricket. Then I think there are some great opportunities there,” signed off the Australian great.

Ponting is well-versed in multi-sport events, having been part of Australia’s team during cricket’s debut at the Commonwealth Games in 1998.