'Watching the Olympics, it got us all excited' - Pat Cummins wishes to play cricket at LA Olympics 2028

Cricket is set to return to the Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles after a gap of 128 years. Australia's Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins recently expressed his interest in playing in the global event.

Cricket's last appearance at the Olympics was way back in 1900 in Paris. Great Britain and France played a one-off encounter where the former emerged victorious. This was after Belgium and the Netherlands withdrew from the competition. The 2024 edition of the Olympics was hosted in Paris in July and August. Cummins said the Australian players were excited to participate in the multi-nation event. The 31-year-old hoped that he would be around in international cricket four years from now and get the chance to compete for the gold medal.

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“Watching the Olympics, it got us all excited. You want to be part of it right there in the middle. I’d love to be on that side (at LA28). I think I’ll be 35 or something, so hopefully still there or thereabouts," Cummins said while speaking to Fox Sports.

“Honestly right now, it feels a long way away. Maybe once we get closer and start building into it, everyone gets a bit more excited,” the fast bowler further added.

The fast bowler has won a hat-trick of ICC titles with the Australian team, winning the T20 World Cup in 2021 and then the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship in 2023.

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The decision to include cricket in the Olympics was taken after a comprehensive two-year process, during which the International Cricket Council (ICC) collaborated closely with the Los Angeles 2028 Organising Committee (LA28). LA 2028 will see a men's competition as well as a women's competition for cricket. Both events will be held in the T20 format, which has helped the sport gain immense popularity on a global scale. Cricket has grown by leaps and bounds in the USA after the advent of Major League Cricket (MLC) and it also co-hosted the T20 World Cup for the first time in June. The reappearance of the beautiful sport in the Olympics will undoubtedly enhance its following.