The esteemed Australian cricket all-rounder, Annabel Sutherland, is eagerly anticipating the return of cricket to the Olympics – a comeback that seems imminent with the likelihood of it becoming part of the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
In a recent development, cricket was among the five sports that received an IOC recommendation, and the future is set to be decided when the committee convenes in Mumbai from Sunday. Notably, cricket has been an Olympic sport just once in the past – the 1900 Paris Olympics saw Great Britain clinch gold against France after Belgium and the Netherlands pulled out.
Considering her upward career trajectory, Sutherland will be in her prime when the Los Angeles Games come around, and she is, in fact, being considered for leading the national squad. The youthful talent of the 22-year-old Sutherland alongside Phoebe Litchfield (20) and Georgia Wareham (24) is expected to form the crux of the Australian side.
Reflecting on the extraordinary prospect, Sutherland said, “It is a quite some time away, but some of the girls have already started expressing their excitement through text messages. As someone who has had the privilege of being part of the Commonwealth Games last year and bagging a gold medal as part of the team, the Olympics is an ecstatic prospect.”
While Sutherland is content playing as No.7 in the ODIs against the West Indies in Melbourne on Thursday and Sunday, she admits to having an eagerness to rise through the ranks. Her impressive partnership with Litchfield in a match against Ireland recently does hint at her potential.
Multitude formats are finding place in women’s international cricket schedule and this week saw pink balls added to prepare for the day-night Test against India in December. Although the venue isn’t finalized, it is widely believed that Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will host the game.
As Sutherland mentions, the constant transition between different balls is quite likely to become a norm, “We recently had a go with the pink balls, which was quite an experience. Considering the men’s cricket where the players swap between red and white balls frequently, we hope to get comfortable with similar transitions. This would certainly make preparation for various Test matches, regardless of format, much easier. We’re all keenly watching the current men’s World Cup and are interested to see the playing conditions at Wankhede.”
