Cricketer Adam Gilchrist has called for the sport's Twenty20 format to be adopted as an Olympic event in the year 2020.
A week out from the opening of the Beijing Games, Gilchrist claimed that re-introducing cricket as an Olympic sport would have the dual benefit of growing the sport internationally, and also boosting the Olympic movement's popularity on the subcontinent.
The former Australian star, who retired from international cricket this year but played in the inaugural Indian Premier League, urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to push for cricket to be considered for inclusion at the 2020 Olympics.
"Cricket was part of the 1900 Olympics, when Great Britain beat France. But with Twenty20 cricket here to stay, now is the time for the 10 full-member nations of the ICC to plan for the development of the sport over the next 100 years," Gilchrist wrote in an article for the Deccan Chronicle, an Indian newspaper.
"Over the next century, the challenge for all of us who love the game is to spread the word of cricket to parts of the globe that have never heard of it and currently don't play our sport.
"We have a responsibility to grow our game in new territories and amongst the women of the world.
"I believe the Olympic Games is the vehicle the sport should use to aggressively sell the message of our sport to all 202 competing Olympic nations, so our sport is strong and robust in countries where it is currently played and exciting and ground-breaking in countries who haven't yet caught the cricket bug."
Gilchrist envisaged the Twenty20 format could become popular in countries like the United States, China, Italy, France and Japan, which could all provide strong men's and women's teams.
Those nations participating in the Olympics could then pave the way for Test cricket to be played in more countries, he said.
In turn, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would also benefit from cricket's inclusion, Gilchrist said, as the sport would act as the vehicle to boost the Olympics' presence on the subcontinent, which boasts almost a quarter of the world's population.
"Is it a realistic dream? I really believe it is. The ICC has already taken the step to become a recognised Olympic sport and that is the first step on the road to becoming part of the Olympic program," Gilchrist wrote.
"The Olympic movement knows it needs to increase its presence in the Asian subcontinent as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh contribute nearly 22 percent of the world's population.
"In theory, this is a win-win for the Olympic movement and the ICC and its members."
Gilchrist said the ICC should promote cricket to the IOC after the Beijing Games, to give the sport a chance of being selected, in 2013, for inclusion for the 2020 Games.
He said an Olympic cricket tournament would not compromise the sport's already jammed schedule, as a small window was needed once every four years.
