Hundred ‘could work at Olympics’

MAHELA Jayawardene believes the Hundred could be the format that sees cricket break into the Olympics.

While a cricket tournament is yet to be a full feature of a Games — only two teams competed when Great Britain beat hosts France in Paris on its only showing in 1900 — both the ICC and MCC are backing its inclusion at Los Angeles 2028.

Jayawardene, coach of Southern Brave in the inaugural competition, sits on the ICC’s cricket committee debating which version of the game to put forward.

‘We will have to wait and see once the tournament has kicked off, the enthusiasm for it and how people embrace it but Twenty20 was discussed as a format, T10 is an option, so why not the Hundred? If it goes well, the time is compact and you get to finish in two and a half hours — it would be brilliant,’ he said.

A sticking point for the Hundred is that the International Olympics Committee would require a format that has a world championship, leaving Twenty20 as the only short-form option under current guidelines.

Meanwhile, a quickfire 56 from captain Jonny Bairstow inspired Welsh Fire to a five-run victory over Ben Stokes’ Northern Superchargers last night.