Modern
day cricket lovers may find it surprising that cricket was introduced in
Olympics way back in 1900. The only cricket match in history of Olympics was
played between France and Great Britain in 1900 at the Paris Olympics. Cricket
was not much popular among the Europeans and there was not much interest among
the participating nations for the sport. Eventually cricket was later avoided
totally in the games due to less number of participants at that time. But now
the situations have changed, and many countries are advocating the inclusion of
cricket in Olympics. In 1900 Paris Olympics , there were two participants for
the cricketing event, Great Britain and France. Britain managed a 158 run
victory over France. The match began on 19th August, 1900. It was mutually
accepted by the two captains to include 12 players in each team. Due to the
inclusion of 12 players the match later failed to gain first class status.
Batting first Britain made 117. Fredrick Cumming with 38, was the top scorer
for Britain in first innings. William Anderson picked up 4 wickets for France
in the first innings. In reply French batsmen could only make 78 in the first
innings. The 12th batsman J Braid scored 25 for France and was the top scorer.
In the second Innings Britain declared their innings at 145/5. France was given
a target of 185. In the second innings Beachcroft (54) and Bowerman(59) made
half centuries for Britain.
Beachcroft
However the French batsmen wilted under the tight
English bowling. They lost ten wickets for just eleven runs. Then the last
batting pairs of France tried to drop anchor and play out the deliveries. They
tried to play out the day and end the match in a draw. But unfortunately for
them, the last wicket fell with just 5 minutes left for the close of game. The
French innings ended at 26, and handed the British a 158 run victory. None of
the French batsmen touched double digits in the second innings. In the first
innings Fredrick Christian picked up 7 French wickets for Britain. And in
second innings the British bowler Montagu Toller picked up 7 wickets.
So
Great Britain is the only team to win a cricket match in Olympic history. The
British team members were selected from Devon and Somerset Wanderers. The
French team included members from Union Club and Standard Athletic Club.
English players, Montegu Toller and Alfred Bowerman were the only players who
had played first class cricket .None of the French players had played first
class cricket.
Return of Cricket to Olympics
Recently
there has been talks going on, for the re-introduction of cricket in Olympics.
There are certain problems associated with such a move. Teams like West Indies
and England may face problems in representations. West Indies comprises a
number of Caribbean Islands and many of them have individual Olympic
associations. But in case of cricket they are represented by the same team. In
case of England, they take part in Olympics as Great Britain, which consists of
athletes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But when it comes
to cricket, England, Scotland and Ireland have individual teams. Also many cash
rich cricket associations had little interest in Olympic participation. Many
feared of losing their autonomy over cricket competitions. BCCI from India was
not a great supporter of the case in initial stages. But many cricket
associations have decided to make a move and introduce cricket in Olympics. It
is expected that cricket will be included in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Most
probably it is the T20 format , which is going to find a place in Olympics.
Many cricketing pundits are even suggesting a 10 over game. Let's wait and hope
for the introduction of cricket in Olympics.
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