Olympics LA 2028 Cricket

The proposed system of qualification for cricket's return to the Olympics in 2028 has caused controversy, with Pakistan and New Zealand facing the prospect of missing out on automatic qualification. Here's how the qualification process is set to work.

Cricket will feature at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after a 128-year absence from the Games. The dates for the cricket section of the event were confirmed by the ICC earlier this month, with the event set to run from July 12 to July 29. Medal matches will be held on July 20 for the women's event, and July 29 for the men's event. All matches will take place at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, which is about 50km away from downtown Los Angeles.

It's only the second time cricket has featured in the Games, with the last time being in 1900, when Great Britain won gold, beating France in a one-off match.

How will teams qualify for the Olympics?

Six men's and women's teams will compete in the event, with squads of 15 players allowed. The format will include men's and women's double-headers on matchdays, with the first match taking place in the morning and the second in the evening.

The ICC discussed the qualification process for the Olympics at their Annual Conference in Singapore earlier this month. It's been reported that the ICC have chosen to use a regional qualifying format for the event, similar to the one used for T20 World Cups.

The top-ranked teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa will qualify automatically, meaning currently India, Australia, England (who will likely compete as Team GB) and South Africa would take those places in the men's competition. That would leave room for two more teams to join them, but the system to decide on who occupies those spaces has not been decided. There are also reports that the USA are set to given automatic qualification as the hosts of the event, leaving only one further place in the tournament.

This would have significant implications for teams occupying high positions in the rankings but lower than others in their region. This most notably applies to New Zealand. The Black Caps are currently ranked above South Africa in the ICC men's T20I rankings but below Australia, meaning they would miss out on qualification.

There would also be implications for Pakistan, who are currently ranked eighth in the men's T20I rankings. Their non-inclusion would mean the Olympics would not feature a marquee India-Pakistan clash.

Qualification for the women's event is set to be decided by the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup, set to be held in England.

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