LA 2028: Great Britain could have cricket team at Olympics in Los Angeles

Discussions are taking place about the formation of a Great Britain cricket team that could compete at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The talks between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket Scotland to establish a Team GB side have begun as the sport prepares to make its return to the Games.

Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade told BBC Radio 4: “We have a really good working relationship with the ECB, so we have been in talks with them and [we’re] in the process of establishing a Team GB cricket entity.

“That’s what’s required by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for a British team to compete at the Olympic Games.”

The ECB has confirmed those discussions to BBC Sport.

Olympic cricket events at LA 2028 will be played as six-team T20 tournaments for both men and women, the International Olympic Committee announced last week.

“So it’s really interesting, the six teams for us, we would have an opportunity through the GB concept,” Lindblade said.

Participating teams will be able to field squads of up to 15 players, but the qualification process has not yet been confirmed.

“There’s a lot to come in terms of how qualification takes place, not just for those six teams but how – if a GB team were to qualify – we have selection within that,” Lindblade added.

“So, exciting times, and we’ll continue to liaise with the ECB and our colleagues at LA 2028 and ICC. It will be interesting.”

Cricket’s only previous appearance at the Olympics was at Paris 1900.

On that occasion, Great Britain won by 158 runs against France in a one-off final, after the Netherlands and Belgium withdrew.

The BOA said in August it hopes to enter a men’s football team into the 2028 Games, uniting the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Football Associations to field a first Team GB men’s Olympic side since London 2012.

England were the nominated nation to attempt to qualify on behalf of Team GB for the women’s football competition at the Paris 2024 Games, but they fell short in their Nations League campaign.