The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed that cricket will officially return to the Olympics in 2028.
The IOC said it will be a six-team tournament, with a men’s and a women’s tournament being held.
It has not yet been announced how teams will qualify, but a number of teams with rich cricketing histories will not be eligible. England would have to play as Great Britain and could therefore include players from Scotland and Northern Ireland, while the West Indies could only be represented by its various constituent countries, such as Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, or Trinidad and Tobago, as the IOC does not recognise England or West Indies as Olympic teams.
The IOC has reportedly been eager to make cricket an official Olympic sport again, so as to encourage interest in the Olympics in India, the most-populous country in the world.
Cricket has only been played at one previous Olympics. In 1900 Great Britian beat France to win the gold medal. They had been the only two teams to compete.