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ICC makes fresh Comm Games push

ICC hopeful women's cricket will be a part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

The International Cricket Council has made a submission for women’s T20 cricket to be a part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Most major cricketing nations participate in the Commonwealth Games but cricket has made just one previous appearance at the quadrennial event, in Kuala Lumper 20 years ago when men’s nations played a 50-over tournament, with South Africa winning gold and Australia the silver medal.

Image Id: A84D36742A9A4FAF82F40F583E53C438 Image Caption: South Africa's triumphant cricket team in Kuala Lumper // Getty

The ICC is hopeful the combination of Twenty20 cricket and the women’s game will help convince the Commonwealth Games Federation to accept the bat-and-ball game back into the fold.

And ICC boss Dave Richardson said Birmingham’s diversity as a city, particularly its cricket-loving South-Asian community, makes it the ideal place to host cricket’s return.

“Cricket and the Commonwealth are inextricably linked and almost perfectly aligned with 910 million of cricket’s one billion plus adult fans from Commonwealth countries,” Richardson said in a statement.

“Birmingham is the perfect place to launch this partnership as the city shares cricket’s rich and diverse culture and heritage.

“If cricket were to be staged in these Games, we know every team competing would be guaranteed ‘home’ support. There’s a ready-made audience and ready-made infrastructure in the local vicinity.”

The ICC has proposed an eight-team T20 event, with teams split into two groups and 16 matches to be played at two venues.

The 25,000-capacity Edgbaston is the obvious venue to host the major games.

The 1998 Games in Kuala Lumper featured 16 teams, including smaller nations like Canada, Malaysia and Northern Ireland, that were split into four groups.

It’s not known how the ICC proposes for Caribbean nations to participate in the event given athletes from the region represent their individual countries at the Games, while international cricketers play under the banner of the West Indies.

Image Id: A8331678FAEC4C2F8F85E36837D25E51 Image Caption: Ricky Ponting plays a pull shot in KL in 1998 // Getty

In Kuala Lumper, Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda all played in the cricket tournament, meaning Windies teammates like Curtly Ambrose (Antigua), Jimmy Adams (Jamaica) and Sherwin Campbell (Barbados) represented competing teams.

“We fully support the ICC’S bid to have Women’s T20I cricket included in this event,” Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts said in a statement.

“(We) know if it was to happen, it would be a great outcome for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the future of cricket for women, men, girls and boys worldwide.

Our women’s team are great ambassadors for the game and our country, inspiring the next generation of girls and boys in Australia to chase their sporting dreams."