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Since cricket was announced as a sport for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, including both men’s and women’s T20I formats, there has been a surge of excitement and debate within the cricketing world. This move has generated considerable buzz about its potential long-term impact on the sport.

Ricky Ponting, former Australian captain, recently shared his views, noting that cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 LA Olympics would be a major boost for the sport. He pointed out that this development is especially notable in a country where grassroots sports are dominated by soccer, baseball, and basketball, suggesting that cricket now has a unique chance to establish a strong presence at the foundational level in the US.

“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. It’s only four years away. I think it also gives cricket a chance to break into the grassroots level in the US,” Ponting said on The ICC Review.

It’s about the audience that it opens up: Ponting

On the same topic, the former three-time World Cup champion explained that a key benefit of cricket being added to the Olympics would be the expansion of its audience, opening up new, previously untapped markets for the sport.

“The thing about the Olympic Games, it’s not [about] the host nation. It’s 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’s seemingly growing on a daily basis anyway (referring to the proliferation of franchise leagues around the globe). It can only be a real positive thing for the game,” mentioned Ponting.

Ponting also conveyed significant excitement about the bright future the sport appears to be on the verge of.

“I’m really excited about where the game’s headed and the growth of different markets that we’re seeing emerge,” he added.

Earlier this year, the sport attracted significant attention in the United States when the country co-hosted the Men’s T20 World Cup with the West Indies.