London 2012: Middlesex star Eoin Morgan wishes cricket was included in Olympic Games

by Tom Moore Thursday, August 2, 2012
1:00 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Eoin Morgan would love to have played at London 2012

Middlesex star Eoin Morgan is disappointed that he can not represent his country at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Ireland-born England batsman is one of the best in the world in the Twenty20 format, which has been previously mooted to become an Olympic sport.

“I heard there was Twenty20 cricket being talked about for London 2012,” Morgan told London24. “It’s one of my favourite forms of the game so I’d have loved to have done that.

“I’d certainly like to be playing in an Olympics but we’ll see how we go.”

While Morgan was waiting to bat against Warwickshire in the County Championship yesterday, Britain won two gold medals.

Firstly Heather Stanning and Helen Glover won gold in the women’s pair on the rowing lake during the morning session.

Then, during the tea interval, Kilburn boy Bradley Wiggins won gold in the men’s cycling time-trial, but the England Lions captain did not see any of it.

“I didn’t see any of it while I was waiting to bat,” he explained. “I heard Wiggins won gold along with the two rowers.

“The Middlesex players have kept in touch of it.

“We’re all trying to get days off to try and see it but we don’t have the time at the minute.”

With the archery taking place at Lord’s, Middlesex were forced into playing at Uxbridge for their County Championship clash against Warwickshire but Morgan.

“We’re happy to step aside for the Olympics,” he added.

“It doesn’t happen very often. We play a lot of cricket at Uxbridge.”

Great Britain won gold in the 1900 Olympics but cricket has never been played at a Games since then.

The sport was included at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and was won by South Africa but was discontinued after the tournament.

Legends Steve Waugh, Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Stephen Fleming and Adam Gilchrist have all called for the sport to be included in the 2020 Olympic Games.