Cricket has been included as one of the disciplines at the South Asian Games for the first time in history after the South Asian Olympic Council members added the popular sport to the 13th edition, scheduled to be held in Nepal from March 9-18 next year. Both the men’s and women’s cricket will be played in the Games.
The men’s category will mostly feature U-23 cricketers, along with three senior players, while only senior cricketers will feature in the women’s event. Although the format has not yet been finalised, it is most likely that T20s would be chosen.
South Asian Olympic Committee approves inclusion of Cricket and Paragliding events for the next year’s South Asian Games to be held in Nepal.
— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) July 21, 2018
South Asia’s biggest multi-sports event, known as the SA Games, featured eight countries and 23 disciplines at the last edition two years ago in India. Nepal, who also hosted the Games’ inaugural edition in 1984, will see the participating countries decrease by one after the withdrawal of Afghanistan from the SAOC. The number of disciplines would also be increased to 27.
Cricket was a part of the 2010 Asian Games in China where Bangladesh men’s team clinched gold medal. The Bangladesh women bagged silver in the following edition in South Korea in 2014 but cricket was excluded from the roster of the 2018 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Indonesia next month.