LONDON, Aug 6: South Africa captain Graeme Smith became on Wednesday the latest leasing cricketer to say he was in favour of Twenty20 cricket becoming an Olympic sport.

Opening batsman Smith, asked his view at a press conference ahead of the fourth Test against England at The Oval, backed the call of former Australian star Adam Gilchrist for the 20-overs game to be part of the Games from 2020.

“From a player’s perspective it would obviously be a fantastic thing to be part of an Olympic Games,” said Smith. “We’ve always just watched from the side and seen how special the event is.

“Twenty20 offers the opportunity (for cricket) to become an Olympic event. It’s not only going to grow the game around the world but it will be nice for us as players to be part of a special event.” Sri Lanka star Kumar Sangakkara was equally enthusiastic. “The Olympic Games would provide the perfect platform to showcase the game to a larger audience.”—AFP