Cricketers who have shown their prowess in other sports in the Olympics, some have even won gold

New Delhi. The popularity and acceptance of cricket is constantly increasing. Cricket has also been included in the next Olympics to be held in Los Angeles, America. T20 format cricket matches will be held in Los Angeles Olympics 2028. The return of cricket after 128 years in this great sports event is definitely a welcome step. Cricket got an Olympic place for the first and only time in 1900. Then the host of this Olympics was also Paris city of France (Paris Olympics 2024) like 2024. However, cricket matches in the 1900 Olympics proved to be a mere formality. Only two teams – Britain and France – participated in cricket and the winner was decided after just one match. Britain won the gold by defeating France.

Cricket has never been a part of the Olympics after 1900, but some cricketers have represented their country in this mega event in other sports. Some of these cricketers have also won medals in the team/individual event of their sport in the Olympics. Let’s take a look at the major cricket players who participated in other sports in the Olympics.

Buckenham was part of the gold winning British football team of 1900
Claude Buckenham has the credit of being the first cricketer to participate in the Olympics in a sport other than cricket. Although cricket was included in the 1900 Olympics, Buckenham played football for Britain in these games. Britain won gold in the Olympics. Buckenham later played four Tests for England in 1910 as a fast bowler and scored 43 runs in addition to taking 21 wickets.

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Johnny Douglas wins gold in boxing for Britain
Johnny Douglas participated in the boxing event for Britain at the 1908 London Olympics and won a gold medal in the middleweight category. Douglas later played 23 Test matches for England (1911-1925) and scored 962 runs at an average of 29.15, including one century and six half-centuries. A right-handed batsman and medium-pace bowler, Douglas was known as an all-rounder. he/she also took 45 wickets (best 5/46) in Test cricket at an average of 33.02.

McBrien was a member of the gold winning hockey team

Somerset’s Jack MacBryan was a member of the British hockey team that won gold in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. Apart from hockey, he/she was also a good cricket player and played a Test match for England in 1924. However, in this Test, he/she neither got a chance to bat nor bowl. Only one day’s play was possible in this match. By the way, MacBryan has more than 10 thousand runs to his/her name with the help of 18 centuries in 206 first class matches.

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Australian Brian Booth was a member of the hockey team
Brian Booth of New South Wales was also a great hockey player. he/she was a member of the Australian hockey team in the 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne. However, his/her team could not progress beyond the group stage in the Olympics. Apart from the Olympics, he/she also played for the Australian hockey team in some other matches. Booth later remained a part of the Australian cricket team from 1961 to 1966. In 29 Tests, he/she scored 1773 runs at an average of 42.21, which included 5 centuries.

Thomson played in the Munich Olympics after two tests
Among the players who were part of the Olympic team in sports other than being a cricketer is New Zealand’s Keith Thomson. he/she played two Tests against India in 1968 and scored 94 runs and took one wicket. After this, he/she was a member of the New Zealand hockey team in the Munich Olympics 1972. Thomson’s team had to face defeat at the hands of India in the group match of this Olympics.

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Kiwi all-rounder Bates, who played basketball in the Olympics

Some women cricketers have also participated in sports other than cricket for their country in the Olympics. The prominent name among them is Suzie Bates of New Zealand. She was a member of the New Zealand basketball team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bates is counted among the best cricketers in the world of T20 and ODI. 36-year-old Bates is still active in cricket. As a right-handed batsman and medium pace bowler, she has played 163 ODIs and 162 T20Is so far. Apart from scoring 5718 runs with the help of 13 centuries in ODIs, she has also taken 78 wickets. Similarly, Bates has 4348 runs and 58 wickets with the help of one century in T20I.

South Africa’s Viljoen won silver in Rio

South Africa’s Sunette Viljoen started participating in the javelin throw event of athletics after her international cricket career ended in 2002. She was part of the South African athletics team in four Olympic Games from 2004 to 2016. In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, she won the silver medal in the women’s javelin throw event. Viljoen played one Test and 17 ODIs for South Africa between 2000 and 2002. Apart from scoring 88 runs in Tests and 198 runs in ODIs, she also took 5 wickets in ODIs.

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