Qualification for the Cricket Event at the LA Olympics is embedded in controversy after the latest announcement provoked an outcry from New Zealand and Pakistan.

The competition has just six slots in both men’s and women’s category.The International Cricket Council (ICC) appears to have opted for a method of selection in the men’s event that guarantees the financial success of the event as opposed to sporting merit and on-field success.

Many other Olympic sports use a worldwide selection process based on merit, but the ICC have opted for a regional qualification process that allows for one team from each continent, in accord with the global Olympic idea.

Once the ICC decided to use regional qualification to allocate the six places, there was always going to be unfairness.

Asian nations India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are among the world’s top cricket playing sides. Qualification would be hard enough if they were to have played regional qualifiers but at least it would be on merit.

But to worsen matters, the ICC subsequently awarded India and Australia automatic slots rather than the previously mulled qualifcation tournament. This of course leaves New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh out in the cold. All have lower TV revenue and advertising revenue than Australia and India.

Rather than allow a qualifcation tournament as they have with the women, the ICC method has selected sides based on current rankings which conveniently ensured India and Australia would appear.

With the USA granted an automatic slot as hosts, that also seems to exclude Canada unless they reserve one qualifcation slot for North American qualifiers, outside the hosts. That is unlikely.

Other than India and Australia, England bring more fans and a large TV audience. The IOC have also found a way to shoehorn England in despite the fact that England does not even compete in its own right at the Olympics.

It appears that they will be allowed to compete as TeamGB as long as they are conjoined with Cricket Scotland, with a token Scottish player being selected for appearances’ sake among the 15 player squad.

There may also be a memorandum of understanding with Cricket Ireland that would allow a token representative from Northern Ireland, but that would still leave players from the southern 26 Counties out in the cold with no chance of playing or challenging TeamGB/England for that European place in the Olympics.

So Ireland can be added to the list of sides excluded without bowling a ball. The process also leaves the Netherlands out in the cold and barred from any hope of European qualification.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are not taking the snub lightly.

According to One Cricket, a PCB source recently told them that the board is planning to send a letter to the ICC and the LA Games Committee to announce a qualification cut-off date. Additionally, while speaking with telecomasia in a meeting, the source also added that the PCB is in talks with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to push for such a suitable cut-off date.

The PCB is proposing that either the current cut-off date for the T20I rankings should be after the T20I World Cup in February-March next year or there should be a qualifying round for teams that will miss out on rankings.

The former will give them a chance to overtake India in the rankings.

The latter idea will fill that elusive sixth place but be incredibly lugubrious given the ten sovereign Caribbean islands, two European sides, three Asian sides, Canada and the two African sides that would feel entitled to enter.

It is unclear just how much sway the PCB and NZC will hold with either body.

In North America, it was proposed that hosts USA would represent the ‘Americas’, although per Caribbean Life, the ICC is still discussing the participation of the USA at all.

That may be more connected to the current row over the running of Cricket USA. The International Olympic Commiteee (IOC) has aked for some serious governance reforms to add to the pressure that the ICC has already placed on the current office bearers.

Additionally many of the current USA side are not US citizens and the women’s side is not ranked in the world’s top 20,

USA entry seems to automatically preclude Canada from any chance of playing unless they were bolted on to the Caribbean islands fighting to be the sole West Indian side to compete. Cricket West Indies has already proposed a qualifying tournament amongst the Caribbean nations for one slot. It’s unlikely Canada would be invited.

However, if the USA is given an automatic slot, the only remaining slot will be sought after by the rest of the world and not just reserved for a West Indian representative.

The matches will take place at the Pomona Cricket Ground in California
Photo: Olympics.com

South Africa are the top ranked side in Africa with Namibia and Zimbabwe frozen out.

There will be a fairer process for the Women’s event.

Places will be allocated based on performance at the T20 World Cup next year to be held in England. Team GB are already guaranteed a place in that tournament as hosts along with five other recognised playing nations.

US, Nepal, Thailand and Scotland are competing in the qualifcation tournament to be held in Nepal from 12 January to 2 February 2026. They will be joined by six other sides yet to qualify, with the top four proceeding to the T20 World Cup.

It is currently unknown what will happen if Scotland qualify for the Olympics themselves, but it is probable they will be ordered to abandon their place and be bolted on to a Women’s TeamGB where a token small amount of Scotswomen will be selected for political reasons.

The Olympic Cricket will run from 12 July to 29 July 2028 and be decided over 20 overs each. The finals take place on 20 July (women’s) and 29 July (men’s) respectively.

Matches will be staged at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, about 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles.