Pakistan and New Zealand cricket teams will be excluded from the 2028 Olympics, as ICC delivered a major surprise.

Delhi: Cricket is returning after 128 years in the Olympic Games, but in this historic event, major teams like Pakistan and New Zealand are rarely seen. Only 6-6 teams will participate in the men’s and women’s category in the Olympics (LA28) to be held in Los Angeles in 2028, causing the competition to be very limited. In such a situation, it seems difficult for some big teams to make a place.

Decision taken in ICC meeting

So far no official qualification process has been announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). However, according to a report by The Guardian, this process has been finalized in the ICC’s annual general meeting held in Singapore in July. Due to this proposed system, the men’s teams of New Zealand and Pakistan are almost certain to be out of the Olympics 2028.

ICC made strategy

According to the report, the ICC has adopted a regional qualification system keeping in mind the standards of the Olympic Committee. This system has ensured representation of five continents of the world – Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa and America. According to this, India (Asia), Australia (Oceania), Great Britain (Europe), South Africa and America (host country) can get direct entry. The sixth team can be the West Indies, but a separate selection process will be adopted for it.

How will Pakistan and New Zealand shock?

According to the ICC Mains T20I rankings, New Zealand is currently fourth, but it is behind Oshinia’s top team Australia, which is second. At the same time, Pakistan is at eighth place and is far behind India among the Asian teams. In this situation, if the qualification is decided on the basis of the existing ranking, then teams like Pakistan and New Zealand will be very difficult to find a place.

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