Cricket set to return to Asian Games in 2022
What's the Story?
The Olympic Council of Asia’s General Assembly has just taken the decision to include cricket in the upcoming Asian Games scheduled to take place in the year 2022. Cricket as a sport is all set to return in Asian Games after an 8 years gap. The last time when cricket was a part of the Asian Games was way back in the year 2014.
The background
The organizers had dropped cricket from the list of games for the latest edition of Asian Games which took place in the year 2018 in Indonesia. In the previous 2 editions held in 2010 and 2014, cricket was a part of the Asiad but India did not take part because of their tight schedule.
Also, the BCCI has not yet confirmed India’s participation in the 2022 Asian Games. However, the board has 3 years to take their decision as the games are still far a long time away.
The heart of the matter
The main reason the whole world is excited after this announcement is the possibility of a clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. The entire cricket universe may get to witness yet another India vs Pakistan match if it takes place at the mega event of Asian Games in 2022 at Hangzhou.
According to the reports, the teams will battle in the T20 format. The reports also state that the Oceania Countries like Australia might also feature at the 2022 event. Bangladesh won the gold medal in men’s cricket in 2010, while it was the Sri Lankan side which took the gold medal home in 2014.
What's next?
With Asian teams like Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Nepal rising in the ranks, the 2022 Asian Games will give a much-needed boost to cricket in Asia. Including the Test playing nations will provide the right amount of exposure to the upcoming teams at the Asian level.