Cricket’s been at Games

By Our Correspondent

Hyderabad

Aug. 4: The idea of introducing cricket at multi-sport international events is not entirely new. The game has been part of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.

Contrary to perception, those at the Games say that time will not be a factor in organising the event — matches at the Commonwealth Games comprised 50-overs-a-side while those at the Olympics were played over two innings!

As many as 16 teams divided into four groups competed on a league-cum-knockout basis at Kuala Lumpur and it took the organisers six days to complete the event. South Africa walked away with the gold medal and Australia had to be content with silver while New Zealand took the bronze.

"It was pretty smooth, they had the matches going on in two or three grounds and the event finished pretty fast," recalls stylist V.V.S. Laxman, who was a member of the national squad at the Games.

"Now, time should not be a constraint at all as Twenty20 matches are decided in just three hours — even some of the tennis matches last longer than that," recalls the middle order batsman.

The Commonwealth Games diversified the game, as the West Indies played as individual nations — Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados fielded their own sides.

Though cricket did not make it to the next two Commonwealth Games editions, it’s inclusion in the 2010 Games in Delhi is being considered. The president of the Commonwealth Games Federation wants to bring cricket back into the Games, and the Glasgow bid for the 2014 Games has indicated that they would include cricket.

That’s a positive sign.