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What's the story?
After the declaration of shooting's exclusion from the programme at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, confusions loom over the inclusion of T20 cricket at the mega event. While there are proposals to introduce a mixed T20 event in the game, it is not yet clear whether that will actually see the light of day.
In case you didn't know...
Birmingham was awarded the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after Durban pulled out due to financial constraints. Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is interested in having cricket during the games and has decided to not include shooting as it was an optional sport to be decided by the host city.
The heart of the matter
The Birmingham city council, which bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games is interested in including cricket, though it was not a part of the original bid. However, the governing body of International cricket, ICC, is not said to be too keen on any proposal to host a mixed T20 tournament at the Games due to the hectic calendar. The timing of the event also clashes with the high time of the English cricket summer season.
However, the Birmingham 2022 organisers are hopeful that there is a scope to host a women's T20 competition at the Games. The women's cricket season has less number of matches and the clash with the English women's domestic T20 league can be avoided if it is moved to a later date.
The venue for the event should not be an issue as Edgbaston in Birmingham is one of the popular venues across England.
What's next?
The Commonwealth Games Federation will finalise the programme for the event by the end of next year and we can expect further developments regarding the inclusion of cricket by then.
Author's take
The inclusion of cricket after a gap of more than 20 years could be a good move for the CWG games. The Edgbaston Ground in Birmingham provides a proper venue for the tournament as well. The mixed tournament seems an unlikely proposition but a women's T20 event, if included, can be a positive step
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