Pakistan’s chances of participating in men’s cricket at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are in jeopardy following the International Cricket Council (ICC) finalizing a contentious qualification format that emphasizes regional representation.
As reported by The Guardian, the ICC has sanctioned a system in which the top-ranked team from every continent will qualify, guaranteeing representation from all regions. With just six spots open, the pressure is intense.
The United States, as the host country, has obtained an automatic spot, resulting in five additional openings. According to the present rankings, India is expected to secure Asia’s only place, while Australia (Oceania), South Africa (Africa), and Great Britain (Europe) are anticipated to qualify as well. This arrangement would position established cricketing nations like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand on the outskirts.
Pakistan and New Zealand are showing discontent
The action has ignited irritation. Pakistan and New Zealand cricket teams have expressed their discontent, claiming that the new Olympics format unjustly marginalizes competitive teams to prioritize geographical quotas.
Insiders depict that the choice—while still unconfirmed—is probably irreversible, since the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has supported the approach to enhance cricket’s worldwide presence and attractiveness.
That means there is only one last position available. The ICC has not revealed how it will be granted, but speculation suggests a possible place for a Caribbean representative team, akin to the setup at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Barbados represented the West Indies.
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Dates revealed for the next tournaments
Cricket’s addition to LA 2028 will highlight its comeback to the Olympics after 128 years. The major prior Olympic cricket match that happened during the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain got a massive success to secure the gold medal and France got defeated at that time.
The men’s and women’s tournaments will be played in the T20 format, running from July 12 to July 29, 2028. The scheduled date for the women’s medal match is July 20, while the final for men is going to occur on July 29.
For Pakistan, a cricketing nation with a massive fan base, the news appears as a major blow — leaving supporters hopeful that the ICC might yet reconsider how the final spot is decided.