ICC bats for inclusion of women’s cricket in 2022 Commonwealth Games
The ICC is planning to apply for the inclusion of women’s cricket in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Durban, South Africa, the governing body said in a statement. The Board believes that the inclusion of women’s cricket will provide players an opportunity to showcase their skills in the tournament.
The decision to support the inclusion of women’s cricket was taken at the ICC annual conference in Edinburgh after a presentation by the Commonwealth Games Federation.
“The Board has taken a strategic decision to support the inclusion of women’s cricket in the 2022 Commonwealth Games as it will enhance the profile of the sport and create additional exposure and experiences for female cricketers, as well as opportunities to engage with the Commonwealth Games on important social justice issues and initiatives,” said ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar in a media release.
The governing body also confirmed that it will work closely with the Commonwealth Games Federation in order to” ensure cricket’s inclusion on the program and to determine the specific tournament structure and qualification process that will be applied”.
The Men’s version of cricket was part of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. The fifty-over version of the game was played there with South Africa beating Australia to win the Gold. A total of 16 countries participated with the Caribbean countries participating separately rather than as the West Indies team. An Indian team led by Ajay Jadeja were knocked out in the group stages after finishing third in a group which included Australia, Antigua and Barbuda and Canada.
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The Asian Games remains the largest multi-sport event that features cricket with the last two editions featuring both the men’s and women’s events. However, India opted out of the event in the last two editions of the Asian Games with the BCCI refusing to send a team.
The ICC also discussed the possibility of getting cricket into the Olympics.
"There will be further discussions on cricket's potential participation in the Olympic Games following further meetings with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later in the year," the governing body said.
This comes after Simone Gabino’s, President of the Federazione Cricket Italiana, assurance about cricket being included in the 2024 Olympics, if Rome wins the hosting rights of the event.
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