Washington [USA], August 22 (ANI): Ritesh Patel, the owner of the Cape Town SAMP Army franchise in the Zim Afro T10 competition, said that the 10-over format of the game is perfect for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, in which the sport will be making its return after a gap of over 128 years.
Cricket’s return to the Olympics has been a long time coming. Last featured in the Games in 1900, the sport is set to make its long-awaited comeback.
Cricket was among the five additional sports proposed by the LA28 Organising Committee for inclusion alongside baseball-softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially confirmed cricket’s inclusion at the 141st IOC Session held in Mumbai in October 2023.
Ritesh told ANI that the format is perfectly suited for the Olympics.
“T10 is the right format. Each game is around 80-90 minutes in length and it is perfectly fit for Olympics,” said Ritesh.
On how Zim Afro T10, which will witness its second season start from September 21 this year, is benefitting Zimbabwe cricket, Ritesh said that it is exposing Zimbabwe’s talent to a bigger stage and giving them a chance to play with big international superstars.
“I have seen a lot of talent in Zimbabwe. There is a lot of phenomenal talent in Zimbabwe. Some of them have played for our team and are even a part of the international squad. The way cricket is being promoted there is great and the future is bright,” added Ritesh.
He said the T10 format is time-saving and entertaining.
“T20s are a four to five-hour game. T10 is around an hour-and-a-half. People do not always have a time to watch cricket and they would like to watch this. Every single delivery is valuable, be it to the batter, bowler or a spectator. You just cannot walk away or leave your seat. It is time-saving and entertaining,” added Ritesh.
Talking about players he would like to pick up for his franchise if given a chance, he named Indian stars Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav, along with England stars Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler and South African pacer Anrich Nortje. He named Moeen as the captain of his team.
The grand finale of the tournament will take place on September 29 in Harare.
The T10 tournament, which is the first of its kind in Africa, will see all the games being played at the Harare Sports Club, much like the inaugural season.
In the first year, Zim Afro T10 entered history books as it became the first tournament to be played under floodlights at Harare Sports Club.
The T10 franchise-based league has been in the process of improving its global footprint, and after seven entertaining seasons in Abu Dhabi, it has spread its wings to the US, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. (ANI)
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