England captain Eoin Morgan has backed the T10 format to be included in the Olympic Games. He feels that the format could be the vehicle for getting cricket into the Olympics, as the 10-over game is a sort of "eye-catching entertainment" and is "fan-friendly" too.
Cricket has not featured at the Olympics since 1900 when Great Britain beat France in a one-off gold medal match in Paris, and according to Morgan, there is no better way than the T10 format to introduce cricket again to the world’s biggest sporting event.
He is currently playing for Delhi Bulls in the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Morgan said on the sidelines of the T10 League: “I am not actually quite sure because I am always trying to bring in new ideas and grow the game even bigger. The Olympics is a huge opportunity to do that. Ever since I have played T10, it's sort of eye-catching entertainment because I am a huge fan.”
Read Also: England pacer Olly Stone considering retirement from Test cricket
He added, “All my family and friends watch the game and they go out and come back and watch another game. It's very fan-friendly and if you are looking to sell our game to people who haven't watched cricket before, I think it's a really flexible way to do that. Introduce them to watch different formats and I haven't found a better way than T10 for a format to play in the Olympics.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Bulls have won all their three games so far in the ongoing T10 League and Morgan feels his team can win the tournament this year.
He further added, “We have a strong team and missing Jason Roy obviously hurts us. We have plenty of talent and are looking forward to it.”
England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain is currently playing under the leadership of Dwayne Bravo for Delhi Bulls in the T10 league.
Praising the legendary all-rounder, Morgan said: “I think it will be huge, Bravo is one of the most experienced T20 cricketers in the world if not the most, you think how long he has been around and how many games he has played.”
He concluded, “The biggest factor that he is a winner and won competitions around the world and won the T20 World Cup as well, so he is going to be essential and hopefully achieving success.”
(With ANI Inputs)
