Cricket Australia chief offers backing to sport's bid for Olympic inclusion

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has offered his backing to cricket returning to the Olympic Programme ©Getty Images

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has thrown his support behind the sport’s bid to be included at the Olympic Games, though he has warned any plans may prove difficult as “dealing with the nuances of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) can be challenging”.

The campaign for cricket to be granted a return to the Olympic Programme has gathered pace in recent months and Sutherland’s comments come after compatriot Shane Warne and India’s Sachin Tendulkar, considered two of the game’s greatest-ever players, both called for the sport’s inclusion.

Representatives of the International Cricket Council (ICC) are due to meet with IOC officials this month to discuss the matter, with the main stumbling block remaining which format of the sport should be put forward.

A number of ideas have been mooted, including Twenty20, which has enjoyed a vast growth in popularity since it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003.

Indoor cricket has recently emerged as the frontrunner as it can be modified and adapted to make it easier to put on in countries where there is no cricket infrastructure or grass pitches.

Sutherland, who has led Cricket Australia since 2001, also says beach cricket shouldn’t be ruled out and says his organisation are doing all they can to get the game included at the Games as early as 2024.

Cricket was one of just seven out of 33 eligible sports not to apply for inclusion at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but the Twenty20 format has featured at the previous two editions of the Asian Games and could become part of the Commonwealth Games in Durban in 2022.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg has revealed "exploratory discussions" with the sport are taking place.

Twenty20 cricket remains the most likely format of the game to gain Olympic inclusion though indoor cricket has emerged as a surprise frontrunner ©Getty Images

“Cricket on a traditional field is going to be a challenge in some parts of the world, so there are other ways in which it could be played,” the Australian told ABC’s Grandstand programme.

“Beach cricket is not a silly idea nor is indoor cricket.

“Some of those things are perhaps more practical and achievable than big cricket fields like we're on right now.

“As we understand it, dealing with the nuances of the IOC can be challenging.

“We've always been supportive of the idea, we believe it's a good thing for the broader development of the game.

“There's a whole lot of complexities, but we're optimistic and certainly will be pushing very hard for that to happen."

Cricket’s push for to be included at the Olympics for the first time since Paris 1900 - where a single match between a British team and hosts France decided the destination of the gold medal - became more prominent in July after Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) World Cricket Committee called for Twenty20 to be a part of the Games in 2024.

India's Sachin Tendulkar and Australian Shane Warne are two of the most high-profile cricketers to call for the sport to be included at the Olympic Games ©Getty Images

The MCC World Cricket Committee - an independent body chaired by former England captain Mike Brearley and comprising more than a dozen current and former cricketing greats, including Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, South Africa's Shaun Pollock and Australia's Ricky Ponting - said it was “unanimous in its belief that every effort should be made to make cricket an Olympic sport”.

Following its Board meeting in October, the ICC announced that its chief executive David Richardson and director Giles Clarke would hold talks with the IOC in November.

The case for cricket's Olympic involvement continued to gather momentum when the new ECB chairman Colin Graves claimed he thinks it “should be an Olympic sport in one format or another”.

The governing body for the English game had previously been against the idea due to fears over the impact it might have on the domestic season, while India, perhaps the sport's key powerbroker, has also expressed opposition in the past.