Pakistan likely out of 2028 Olympic Cricket: Here’s how!

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalised the process for qualifying cricket for the 2028 Olympics, with Pakistan’s men unlikely to qualify for the event, British media outlet The Guardian reports.

Following discussions at its annual general meeting in Singapore, the ICC has approved a regional qualification format to decide the participating teams.

The men’s tournament at the Los Angeles Games will feature six teams, with an automatic slot reserved for the host nation, the United States.

Under the proposed model, the highest-ranked team from each continent will qualify, ensuring representation from all regions.

This means India will claim the Asia spot, while Australia (Oceania), South Africa (Africa) and the United Kingdom (Europe) will also automatically qualify. These allocations will eliminate Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand from direct qualification.

One of the Caribbean nations could replace the US if its governance issues are not resolved after the ICC called on the USA Cricket Board to resign this month.

Pakistan and New Zealand are unhappy with the ICC decision, but it is unlikely to change, as it has yet to be ratified by the board.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has also pushed for a regional qualification system to ensure global representation and boost cricket’s international appeal.

However, the format leaves only one spot open after India, Australia, South Africa, Great Britain and the United States have confirmed their places.

The ICC will decide how the sixth and final berth will be awarded. There is speculation that it could go to a representative team from the Caribbean islands, similar to the arrangements for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Barbados represented the region.

The men’s and women’s cricket tournaments at LA 2028 will be played in the T20 format.

The ICC has already confirmed that both competitions will run from 12 July to 29 July 2028, with the women’s medal match scheduled for 20 July and the men’s final scheduled for 29 July.

Cricket will return to the Olympic stage after 128 years. The sport’s only previous appearance was at the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated France in a one-off match to win the gold medal.