Kevin O’Brien, the man who holds the record for the fastest World Cup century, against England at this year’s tournament in India, will lead a powerful Ireland team for the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes at the Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC)next month.

O’Brien, who stunned England with a blistering century off just 50 balls which resulted in Ireland successfully chasing down a total of 328, will captain a team that includes five of his World Cup teammates as the leading international cricket associate member makes its debut in Hong Kong.

O’Brien’s older brother Niall will keep wicket, while opening batsman Paul Stirling is another who looks perfectly suited to Sixes, having smashed an explosive century off just 72 balls which guided Ireland to victory over the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Left-arm spinner George Dockrell is also included, along with Alex Cusack and John Mooney, with the only uncapped player being Max Sorensen.

It’s a perfect platform for us to get a look at Max, and see how he makes the step up,” said Ireland’s West Indian coach Phil Simmons. “From what I’ve seen, he’s exactly the type of cricketer I’m looking for. He can bowl quick, hits the ball far and is an exceptional fielder who is supremely fit.”

Ireland has been drawn alongside defending champions Australia, England and Bangladesh at the October 28-30 Hong Kong Sixes. After the heroics at the World Cup, opponents will ignore Ireland at their peril.

Fans are looking forward to another exciting Hong Kong Cricket Sixes (Pic: Chingwai Li/Sixes FaceBook Group)

First-ever T20

In addition to playing in the tournament, one player from the Ireland side will be invited to face the Hong Kong Cricket All Stars in a nine-aside T20 match on Friday afternoon at 3.00pm. The match will be the first international T20 match ever held in Hong Kong.

“This is a very strong side and one which is capable of upsetting anyone on their day. We saw what they did to England at the World Cup and I’m sure none of their pool opponents will take Ireland lightly,” said Shahzada Saleem, president of the Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA).

Both Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling were amongst the shortlisted players for the ICC Associates and Affiliates 2011 Player of the Year which was ultimately won by Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands, who will figure for the All Stars at the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes.

Ireland and Scotland will make their debut at the highly-anticipated tournament which has been expanded to 12 teams and three days of competition this year.

The shorter format will continue to play a big part of Ireland’s calendar next year, with the ICC World Twenty20 qualifier taking place in the United Arab Emirates in March, with the top two from the 16-team event going on to the finals in Sri Lanka in September.

With a lot at stake, the stage is set for Ireland to make a stunning debut at the Hong Kong Sixes.

Ireland squad:

Kevin O’Brien (Gloucestershire, capt), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), George Dockrell (Somerset), John Mooney (North County), Niall O’Brien (Northants), Max Sorensen (The Hills), Paul Stirling (Middlesex)

With the support of the Hong Kong Tourism Commission’s Mega Events Fund, the Karp Group Cricket Sixes 2011 is set to be the biggest and best clash in the 19-year history of the Tournament. The Hong Kong Sixes has been an official “M Mark” event since 2004.

For all the latest on Rugby Sevens as well as the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes add me @BlitzBokke

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today named the South African squad to take part in the annual Hong Kong Sixes’ tournament.

The tournament takes place at the Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC) in the city’s Jordan district from October 28-30.

“We have followed the standard procedure of getting each franchise to nominate a player so that we do not disadvantage franchises from their domestic competition requirements,” commented CSA selection convener Andrew Hudson.

“This is a very important tournament for players who have been identified as having the potential to represent the Proteas. We always put an emphasis on young talent and we look forward to the performances of the likes of Mangaliso Mosehle, 21, a former SA Under-19 Cricketer of the Year, and Matthew Hulett, 20, this year’s CSA amateur one-day Player of the Year.

“There is also a good balance of experience provided by Lyall Meyer and Dillon du Preez.

“We are confident this squad can bring home some prestigious silverware.”

The South Africans will again be coached by Corrie Van Zyl (pictured below).

Squad:

Richard Cameron (Highveld Lions), Dillon du Preez (Knights), Matthew Hulett (Dolphins), Lyall Meyer (Warriors), Mangaliso Mosehle (Titans), Aubrey Swanepoel (Griquas), Lenert van Wyk (Cape Cobras)

Manager/Coach: Corrie van Zyl

Some images from previous South African teams at the Hong Kong Sixes:

Hong Kong Sixes 2010

Dinner with the SA Association, “Vinnige Fanie” De Villiers and the SA Team:

Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi, two of the most destructive batsmen in the history of cricket, are set to dazzle fans at the 2011 Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes at the Kowloon Cricket Club from October 28-30, 2011.

Joining them in the All Stars line-up are a coterie of premier cricketers from around the globe including one of the world’s fastest bowlers, Australia’s Shaun Tait, South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs, Pakistan’s Abdul Razzaq and the International Cricket Council’s Affiliate Player of the year, Ryan ten Doeschate of The Netherlands.

Sri Lanka’s Jayasuriya and Pakistan’s Afridi have gone head-to-head with their batting exploits and are recognised as two of the most feared batsmen in the world. The duo are ideally suited to Hong Kong’s unique format with hitting sixes almost second nature for the pair.

Two of the most-feared batsmen

Master blaster Jayasuriya held the record for the most sixes in one-day internationals – 270 – until Shahid Afridi, nicknamed “Boom Boom” for his aggressive batting style, overhauled it to stand top of the list with 289. The picturesque Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC) will be tailor-made for the duo who will carry the hopes of the All Stars in the expanded 12-team tournament.

“We are thrilled to have both Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi playing on the same team. They are outstanding cricketers who can demolish any bowling attack and are more than capable bowlers themselves. Fans are in for a treat,” said Captain Shahazada Saleem, president of the Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA).

Jayasuriya (pictured below) , who holds the record for the fastest 50 in One Day Internationals (ODIs) – off just 17 balls – is a more than capable bowler with his left arm spin having claimed 323 wickets. He is the only player to score more than 13,000 runs and take more than 300 wickets in ODIs.

Afridi was the standout bowler at this year’s World Cup. The leg-spinner was the joint highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps. He also holds the record for scoring the fastest 100, off just 37 balls, another record he claimed from Jayasuriya who had the previous fastest ton (off 48 balls).

The destructive pair will figure in a powerful All Stars team which also includes South African opener Herschelle Gibbs, Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, Australian spearhead Shaun Tait and Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands.

Opposing batsmen will have to watch out for Shaun Tait and his thunderbolts. The Aussie is widely regarded as one of the world’s fastest bowlers. Tait once bowled a delivery recorded at 160.7 kilometres per hour – the fastest ball ever bowled on Australian soil.

Master Gibbs

South African Hershelle Gibbs, is an elegant batsman who on his day can tear apart any attack. He became the first player to hit six sixes in one over, doing so against the Netherlands at the 2007 World Cup. Opponents at KCC will also have to watch out for his brilliant fielding.

All-rounder Razzaq

Abdul Razzaq will be another key cog in the All Stars team. Handy with both bat and ball, the Pakistani played a huge part in his country’s victory over Australia at this year’s World Cup as he guided them to a tense victory with an unbeaten 20 off 24 balls. His coolness under pressure will be welcomed by the All Stars.

Developing stars

In keeping with the Hong Kong Cricket Association’s goal to promote Cricket’s Associate nations, the Netherlands’ Ryan ten Doeschate rounds out this year’s All Star selection.

Every English fan will remember ten Doeschate for the century he scored against England at this year’s World Cup. His knock of 119 is the record for the highest individual score by a player from an associate nation. The Netherlands all-rounder was recently named the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year for the third time in four years and for the second year running.

Ten Doeschate, 31, played six ODIs during the World Cup this year and scored two centuries and a half-century, averaging 61.40 for the period with a strike rate of 89.24. He is also the first Associate player to win an IPL contract. He was bought at the 2011 auction by Kolkata Knight Riders.

“We have got a good blend of players from all around the world and I expect the All Stars to be one of the favourites to win the tournament,” said Saleem.

The All Stars have been drawn with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Scotland in pool A. Defending champions Australia are in pool B with England, Bangladesh and Ireland while pool C comprises last year’s losing finalists Pakistan, South Africa, India and Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA) yesterday unveiled the tournament pools and ticketing details of the 2011 Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes at the tournament venue, the Kowloon Cricket Club.

Organisers also took the opportunity to announce details of some new and exciting innovations for this year’s event, some 59-days away.

Firstly, this year’s tournament will be a 3-day event that kicks off on Friday 28 October concluding on Sunday 30 October.

Secondly, Day 1 will see the staging of the first-ever T20 cricket match in the Hong Kong SAR.  Glyn Davies, Tournament Director announced that the historic match will see a combined All Stars/Team China side take on a side made up of members of the remaining 11 national teams.

One of this writer’s concerns at every tournament has been the many youngsters outside the main entrance to the Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC) asking for (free/un-used) tickets.  In an attempt to get more spectators into the grounds, organisers have come up with a solution.  With the extension of the tournament into 3 days, they have announced that single-day tickets for Friday 28 October will be sold at HK$100 (adults) and HK$50 (children).  That means that visitors on Day 1 will be treated to two of the most exciting formats of cricket (round 1 of the Sixes and a T20 match) for only $100 ($50).

“Part of our mandate for the tournament is to increase the exposure of the Sixes and introduce new audiences to cricket. We are confident that the special ticket price offer for Friday will assist in attracting new audiences and will create an entertaining opening day for both staunch cricket supporters and general sports fans,” said Dinesh Tandon, Chairman of the Hong Kong Cricket Association.

Tickets for the 2011 Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sales will go on sale from today (Friday, September 2, 2011) via the Hong Kong Ticketing website (www.hkticketing.com) and telephone hotlines, the Hong Kong Cricket Association office in Olympic House, Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong Cricket Club and at Jashan and DotCod restaurants in Central.

Adult tickets are priced at HK$800 for a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) package. Weekend ticket packages for children 12 and under on October 28, 2011 will be HK$380.

See you at the Sixes!

(Right to Left) Attending today’s press conference were Mr Glyn Davies, Tournament Director, Mr Dinesh Tandon, Chairman of the HKCA, Captain Shahzada Saleem Ahmed, President of the HKCA, Mr Jonathan McKinley, Deputy Secretary of the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government and Mr Danny Lai, General Manager of Hong Kong Cricket Association,

One of the endearing sounds at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong, is the sound of the ball hitting the sweet spot on the willow, causing it to sail over the stands and surrounding trees, only to land in adjacent Cox’s Road (or on some poor sod’s car!)  Many a ball has gone lost in this way.

Following a six like that and coming in in close second place, is the sound of the drums, trumpets and raucous celebrations in the mostly South-Asian-populated stand.

Priceless.

While a local team was busy going through their paces at the tournament venue (Kowloon Cricket Club) in the city’s Jordan district, the Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA) unveiled the tournament pools and ticketing details of the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011.

Today’s announcement marks the 60-day countdown to the 2011 Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes weekend.

Mr Jonathan McKinley, HK’s Deputy Secretary of the Home Affairs Bureau (right) and HKCA’s Captain Shahzada Saleem Ahmed (left) celebrate the 60-day countdown.

With the generous support of the Hong Kong Administration’s Mega Events Fund, the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes will be held at the Kowloon Cricket Club from Friday, October 28, to Sunday, October 30, 2011.

The pools for the expanded 12-team tournament, up from eight teams previously, were unveiled today.

Pools

The All Stars are the tournament top seeds in Pool A alongside Sri Lanka, New Zealand and tournament debutantes Scotland.

Pool B is headed by defending Hong Kong Cricket Sixes champions Australia, followed by England, Bangladesh and Ireland.

Pool C sees last year’s runners-up Pakistan grouped with South Africa, India and the hosts, Hong Kong.

All Star line-up

One of game’s greatest hitters and a son of the South African soil was today announced in the line-up for the 2011 Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

Traditionally, at this stage of the planning, tournament organisers are still engaged in negotiations with some of the top international stars who will turn out for the drawcard All Stars Team.  While this year is no different, Captain Shahzada Saleem Ahmed, President of the HKCA had the following to say:

“I am happy to announce the names of 3 confirmed members of the All Stars Team.  (Former Sri Lankan all-rounder) Sanath Jayasuriya and (Bangladesh’s) Abdur Razzak will be joined by (swashbuckling South African) Hershelle Gibbs.”  Their teammates will be announced in due course.

Which brings me back to my opening remarks.  Hopefully Tournament Director Glyn Davies will have the foresight to stock up on a few extra boxes of cricket balls because Hershelle Gibbs…

is coming to town.

(WanChai are YOU ready?!)

Hershelle Gibbs celebrates yet another century (Pic: REUTERS)

(Additional image of Hershelle Gibbs by www.ecb.co.uk)

One of these days I’m going to make a list of all the South African sporting and cultural heavyweights who have called on the Hong Kong shores, much to the delight of (most of) the South African expatriates.

This past weekend, to coincide with the 2010-edition of the Karp Group/PC Jewelry Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, it was the turn of one of our country’s cricketing legends: the fast bowler (hence the nickname) called Petrus Stephanus (Fanie) De Villiers.

One Saturday evening, the Southern African Association of Hong Kong hosted Fanie, together with members of this year’s South African team at a traditional South African braai (BBQ for the rest of you) at the Hong Kong Cricket Club.

The braai also served as a fund-raising event for Fanie’s charity dedicated to raising financial support for cochlear implants.

Many thanks has to go out to the auctioneer on the evening who did a sterling job of pushing up the bids with his wagging finger, as well as the SA team who helped to make the evening a memorable one.

Other highlights included Fanie’s eloquent and very entertaining speech, that of SA team skipper Shane Burger, the food as well as my very naughty neighbour trying to undress team wicketkeeper Adrian McLaren! (Have a look at the video clip below for all the action.)

The now-famous auctioneer and his wagging finger (below).

Here are some more images set to music from Steve Hofmeyer and Freshlyground:

The sun is out, the rain is gone and, the way the South Africans are playing, Day 2 of the Karp Group & PC Jeweller Hong Kong Cricket Sixes may just turn out to be yet another great outing.

South Africa played the first match of Day 2 and promptly dispatched Hong Kong by 15 runs.

With the revised tournament in effect (4 overs per side in the Pool stages) it’s 2 out of 2 for South Africa and they’re well on their way to topping their Pool to make it into the Cup Semi-Finals.

Here are some images I took this morning:

The SA team visiting a local cricket supplies stall after their fine win vs. Hong Kong (Pic: Mike Jansen)

The boys and their huge toys! The lense-men are out at the KCC (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Good morning!

08:30: South Africa kicked off proceedings on Day 2 of the Karp Group/PC Jeweller Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, with Hong Kong fielding.

South Africa set the hosts a target of 72 off 4 overs.

08:45: South Africa reversed yesterday’s results against Hong Kong by beating the locals by 15 runs.

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Talk about second chances!

After losing their first match yesterday against Hong Kong, that result was canceled when the tournament was revised to 4-overs a side.  South Africa played their next game against Australia which they promptly won by 1 run.  Then, in the first match of Day 2, the South Africans reversed yesterday’s results by beating hosts Hong Kong by 15 runs, putting them on their way to possible defending their 2009 Hong Kong Sixes title.

The sun is out, the rain is gone and it might just be a great day at the Kowloon Cricket club.

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What a great day it turned out indeed!  Besides the lovely weather, South Africa dumped England out of the Cup competition to top their Pool and advance to the Cup Semi-finals.

Two more games to go Boys.

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South Africa plays Pakistan in the first Semi-Finals of the Cup competition, while Sri Lanka plays Australia in the second Semi-Final.

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Rampant Pakistan

Pakistan defeated South Africa in the first semi-final at the Kowloon Cricket Club in stunning form.

In an innings where all but NINE balls were hit for a 4 or 6, Pakistan set South Africa a massive, record-breaking target of 138.  Given that the tournament was revised to only 4 overs-a-side, this score was well and truly a massive achievement.

Unfortunate, the South Africans only managed 88 in their innings where the players asked serious questions about the balls being used.  Top-scorer for South Africa was the returning player David Wiese who retired after scoring 32 runs.

I sat with them in the players’ enclosure and and can say that the Boys are bitterly disappointed but hey…

This is cricket.

Pakistan will play either Sri Lanka or Australia in the Final at the Kowloon Cricket Club.

Click here for the electronic score-sheet South Africa vs. Pakistan

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2:55pm- Australia just defeated Sri Lanka to advance to the Cup Final where they will meet Pakistan.

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4:20pm- Cup Final

The Pakistanis are truly in rampant form, setting Australia another massive target of 133 runs.  The Aussies got the crowd going when their wicket-keeper, in true Aussie style, chirped at the Pakistani players, almost prompting a physical confrontation in the middle of the pitch.

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Drama at the Kowloon Cricket Club

For the 3rd year in a row, the Championship has been decided with the last ball.

Needing 4 off the final ball of their innings, the Pakistani bowler bowled a wide which went past a diving wicket-keeper for four runs.

Pakistani hearts were well and truly broken and Australia won their first-ever Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

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Unfortunately the South African team could not be part of the after-tournament events (in the club-house and later tonight at Stormies in Lan Kwai Fong) as they have to jet out tonight.

Scheduling problems left them with flights out of Hong Kong tonight and Thursday… so they’re missed quite a lot of the celebrations.

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First match of Day 2 of the Hong Kong Sixes (Pic: Mike Jansen)

Just another lazy Sunday morning at the cricket…. (Pic: Mike Jansen)

After rain delayed the start of the Karp Group & PC Jeweller Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, play finally got underway at 10am.

The match was a repeat of last year’s dramatic Final between hosts Hong Kong and South Africa, and like last year, Hong Kong won the first match of Day 1.

Set a target of 115 runs, South Africa manages only 99 runs.

Here are some images from the first match:

Images will be added throughout the tournament

The weather is rather miserable on this side of the noodle-curtain with constant rain falling since daybreak.

The 2010 Karp Group/PC Jeweller Hong Kong Cricket Sixes starts tomorrow and so far, all indications are that the tournament at the Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC) will experience a wet day 1.

South Africa starts proceding tomorrow morning with a repeat of last year’s Final against hosts Hong Kong.  The team in red was denied their first-ever victory on home soil in the Final last year and are sure to come back with guns bats blazing.  The Hong Kongers return with mostly the same squad as 2009.

Along with left-arm spinner  and skipper Najeeb Amar, the others who made Hong Kong proud 12 months ago and will be returning are Munir Dar, Irfan Ahmed, Tanvir Afzaal and Hussain Butt. The two new faces in the squad are left-handed batsman Peter Wooden and teenage medium-pacer Aizaz Khan.

On the South African side David Wiese is the only returning player and will have to guide his teammates in a format not familiar to South Africans.  The SA side is:

Andrew Birch, Shane Burger, Shaheen Khan, Keshav Maharaj, Adrian McLaren, Godfrey Stevens and Dave Wiese, with  Lawrence Mahatlane as Manager.

South Africa’s schedule in the pool stages tomorrow is:

6 Nov (8:20 AM) Hong Kong v South Africa

6 Nov (11:20 AM) England v South Africa

6 Nov (2:20 PM) South Africa v Australia

The weather outlook for the following few days:

Please visit this page for up-to-the-minute reports from the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.  You can also add us on Twitter by following @HowzitHongKong

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Saturday 6 November 2010: 9am

The first match of the day (South Africa vs. Hong Kong) scheduled for 08:20 has been delayed due to rain.

Right now, rain has actually stopped so played is scheduled to start at 10am.

The covers came on when the rain started. More pictures here

Saturday 6 November 2010: 09:35

South African has won the toss and will field when play starts at 10am

10:35: A fired-up Hong Kong set South Africa a target of 115 to win

10:45: The soft, constant drizzle seems to be intensifying as SA reaches 79/1 with 7 balls remaining.

Target: 36 from 7 balls

South Africa loses the match when they can only score 99 runs.

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11:25am: The start of match 2 (Pakistan vs. New Zealand) has been suspended due to rain

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14:25: The sparse crowd just cheered when the covers came off and the players started warming up

Next game: Pakistan vs. New Zealand

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Update: Due to the rain delay, the length of the matches have been reduced to 4-overs per side

The next match, Pakistan vs. New Zealand will start at 3:30pm

The schedule for Day 1 will be:

Sri Lanka vs. New Zealand

India vs. Pakistan

Hong Kong vs. England

South Africa vs. Australia

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News just in:

Organisers have decided to cancel the first game of the tournament played this morning between South Africa and Hong Kong.

Four matches are currently being played in the revised format of 4 overs per side:

Sri Lanka vs. New Zealand

India vs. Pakistan

Hong Kong vs. England

South Africa vs. Australia

The remainder of the original Pool matches (8 matches) will be played tomorrow, ahead of the knock-out rounds.

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Sri Lanka beat New Zealand

Pakistan beat India

Hong Kong beat England

South Africa beat Australia

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Day 2 of the Karp Group/PC Jeweller Hong Kong Cricket Sixes coming up tomorrow…