Former South Arican player and administrator Ali Bacher has said cricket should be played at the Olympics, but it should be tweaked to a seven-a-side match. Bacher said cricket will get more audiences with such a rule change, while saying the game is currently dominated by India, England and Australia.
Recently, the International Cricket Council revealed plans to add cricket to Olympics by 2028.
“It’s a great idea. But not eleven-a-side cricket, but like Rugby, seven-a-side. You will get big audiences. Why should it not be seven-a-side. Why not? The Olympics is the world’s biggest sporting event. Why should not cricket be part of it. The rules can be changed; it can be done. Those changes are not insurmountable," Bacher told News 18.
Bacher said it’s ‘absurd’ that teams like England play 17 Tests a year while a few countries struggle to match them.
“The greatest problem in world cricket now is that it is dominated by Australia, India and England. Where else do you find this, England scheduled to play 17 Test matches. This is absurd. Whereas countries like Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies are scraping to get a few Test matches. This is wrong. Three countries cannot dominate world cricket. Bangladesh has taken a long time to come through, but they have just beaten Australia 4-1 in the Twenty20 series. You cannot allow the game to be controlled and manipulated by three countries. I am totally opposed to what’s happening in World cricket today.
“The game is all about money, and the money is in these leagues. That’s where the sponsors are. That’s where the crowds are and the TV audience. You cannot stop it unfortunately. In five or ten years’ time, people may love Test cricket or not. Who knows? Australia and England will play the Ashes for a hundred years. But what will happen to Test cricket in other parts. You watch the Test matches in the West Indies, there is nobody there. It’s a worrying aspect. The domination by three countries must stop."
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