Should Cricket have been in the Olympics?

Well the 2008 Beijing Olympics have finally arrived. As I am presently watching the opening ceremony and watching the masterful displays pieced to gether by meticulous choreography, I ponder to myself one question, one question that has made me write this post...Should cricket have been in the Olympics?

I bet there are many cricket lovers that are wondering the same thing. Is it because China isn't a leading cricket nation? It shouldn't really matter if China is or not. Cricket is fast gaining interest in this hugely populated country and because of its huge population there is a huge market for cricket in the country.

Perhaps the Twenty20 would have been a crowd favourite at the Olympics, as a Twenty20 game lasts around 3 to 4 hours, and most crowds would be able to watch a game of cricket for this long. Baseball lasts about the same duration.

Just imagine what if cricket was at the Beijing Olympics? It would've catapulted China furtherer up in the cricketing world and the sport itself would've got enormous amounts of exposure (as I have just heard on the commentary that there is approximately 4 billion people watching). Imagine that if cricket was in the Beijing Olympics there would be thousands and thousands of Chinese cricket teams sprouting up and forming a very stable foundation for the future of cricket in the country. Could you imagine that if cricket was in the olympics, it might have been a catalyst for, lets say an example, a major ODI/Twenty20 or a Super Test series being played beside the Yangtze River in the picturesque Gorges region? Or perhaps a super series involving all major cricketing nations including China in the modern metropolis of Beijing itself? The possibilities are endless and are only limited by the vastness of ones imagination, which are infinite.

Of course many people would have their views on whether cricket should've been in the Beijing Olympics. Feel free to let your opinions be known by voting in my poll which asks the very question.