The Olympics is the most iconic and beloved sports event in the world but the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not want cricket to add to its sole appearance more than a century ago, fuelling angst beyond the Test world.

Recently, the ICC ruled against bidding for the inclusion of cricket in the Olympic Games. The earliest cricket could have been included was at the 2024 Games. There was a myriad of factors but, inevitably, the sticking point revolved around potential loss of revenue for the ICC and thus its members.

Some pointed to cricket's underwhelming participation in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur as proof star players would not be willing to participate in an already congested and arduous calendar.

But cricket used the longer, many would argue laborious, 50-over format in Malaysia, with the T20 revolution still five years away.

The T20 boon has broadened cricket's global reach and challenged traditional thinking in terms of its international scope. Test cricket, and even the 50-over format, is probably never realistically going to infiltrate the wildernesses. But T20 has a puncher's chance. Since the explosion of the 20-over game, cricket has started to gain traction across continental Europe and the United States.

It's not hard to imagine T20 becoming a big hit at the Summer Games. The format is brass, energetic and entertaining - despite traditionalists bemoaning its existence.

The Olympics has the pulling power to attract novices to different sports. During the Games, I constantly find myself immersed watching obscure sports that I previously showed scant interest.

The Olympics provide a global audience that should be the envy of the cricket community.

Ashwani Chopra laments the myopic vision. The Cricket Russia president is frustrated with the lack of global perspective among cricket's elite.

Why is cricket basically a relic of British imperialism? Why is it so insular? Surely, this great game should expand to new and exciting frontiers, right?

These are some of the questions that continually plague Chopra, the catalyst in Russian cricket's revival after the sport was banned during communism because it was considered discreditable for the working class to play.

Although still a novelty in Russia, and often confused with croquet, Chopra believes there is untapped cricket potential in the world's largest country. But without the Olympic sheen, development in this cricket backwater will be more difficult, exacerbated by Russia not currently boasting ICC associate membership.

"It's very difficult to get government support and funding for a non-Olympic sport," Chopra explains.

"Inclusion of cricket in the Olympics would make a huge positive impact on cricket in Russia as it would then become a sport financially supported by the Russian Government.

"We have already applied for cricket accreditation in the Ministry of Sports. But it is officially recognised by the Multisport Association of Russia."

Despite cricket's obscurity in Russia during most of the 20th century, the sport surprisingly has rich history in this unlikely locale.

The first recorded cricket game date back to the 1870s and by 1895 there were four established clubs in St Petersburg.

Chopra, along with a band of cricket lovers, has helped spearhead cricket's resurrection. There are teams spread throughout the vast land, with Moscow home to eight clubs and around 160 cricketers. About 20 per cent of players are locals, a number expected to rise with cricket set to be introduced into the sports curriculum in five Moscow schools.

Despite the steady progress, Chopra has gone on the front foot with a raft of ambitious proposals he hopes will enhance cricket's profile.

Starting an international indigenous under-25 tournament biennially, hosting ICC division 3 tournaments and establishing an ICC/Asian Cricket Council office in Moscow are some of the innovative ideas proposed by Cricket Russia.

"Young Russian cricketers need encouragement to play against similarly newly recruited indigenous players of other countries," Chopra says.

"They need some incentive and the youngsters are constantly asking when they could take part in an ICC tournament. Moscow has three cricket grounds and will have another one soon, so we hope to play some international tournaments here.

"The ICC development funding is based on the development scorecard system, but we think it should take into account the size and population of a country when allocating funding."

It's evident that cricket has a way to go before conquering a prized frontier. But a bat and ball revolution in Russia may be approaching.