Should Twenty20 lead cricket's return to the Olympic Games in 2020?

England and France have met just once at cricket. It was in Paris in August 1900, a two-day, 12-a-side ‘international’ at the Vélodrome de Vincennes.

It had been intended that cricket be part of the first modern Games in Athens in 1896, but only England entered. Then in 1900 England, France, Belgium and Holland entered, but the last two withdrew when they were spurned as co-hosts.

Cricket has not featured in the Games since. It will certainly not be appearing here in 2012, or in 2016, but there is strong support building for its inclusion in 2020, buoyed by the IOC’s full recognition of the International Cricket Council game in 2007.

An investigation into the viability of cricket at the Olympics is part of the ICC’s strategic plan for 2011 to 2015 that was adopted last week at their annual meeting in Hong Kong.

Is it a good idea? I’ll admit to not being sure. With Twenty20 as the ideal format to use, it might help cricket’s globalisation for certain.

But that is already happening with the ICC having 105 member countries (10 full Test-playing members, 35 associates and 60 affiliates), even though their treatment of the associates as regards World Cups and World Twenty20s has been horribly inconsistent recently.Infrastructure would improve, as has happened in China, where the Asian Games were held late last year and the Guanggong International Cricket Stadium in Guangzhou was built.

Those Games, with Bangladesh emerging as winners, were the first major multi-sport event at which cricket had taken place since the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

But talking to some of the players involved in that latter event, it seemed it was a surreal experience. The mood was summed up neatly by Australia’s Adam Gilchrist in his autobiography. He said it was more about “indulging ourselves as sports fans than playing cricket”. They were star-struck

But maybe the Australians were enjoying themselves too much. They lost in the final against an under-strength South Africa, and coach Geoff Marsh raged: “I hope you realise the opportunity you’ve just blown! This may never happen again.”

And it hasn’t since, despite serious lobbying from Cricket Scotland officials ahead of the 2014 Games in Glasgow. England did not send a team in 1998, and India did not send a team to the 2010 Asian Games. Both are unlikely to support any Olympic bid now.

You can see England’s point of view. Mostly the Olympics take place during the English summer. Our cricketing schedule is crammed enough as it is. Making space for participation at an Olympics might affect lucrative television deals. India would doubtless be reluctant to do anything to detract from their beloved Indian Premier League.

Maybe the Test-playing countries could play under-23 sides, as they do in Olympic football (with three ‘wild card’ players permitted too). Smaller nations could benefit enormously from winning gold, like Nigeria (1996) and Cameroon (2000) did in winning the Olympic football.
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