Hong Kong Cricket Sixes
 | |
| Countries |
 Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
| Format | Six-a-side |
| First tournament | 1992 |
| Last tournament | 2012 |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin and Knockout |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champion |
 South Africa |
| Most successful |
 Pakistan and  England (5 titles each) |
| Website | Official website |
 2012 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes | |
The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is an annual 10-team international (12 since 2011) cricket tournament held at the Kowloon Cricket Club and fully sanctioned by the International Cricket Council. The tournament is made for television, with rules and a venue that encourage aggressive batting and high scoring. Because every player (except the wicket-keeper) is required to bowl one over, the format suits all-rounders.
History
In 2007, Sri Lanka defeated the much-fancied All-Stars team, while in 2006 South Africa beat four-time champions Pakistan.
The 2008 event was played on 8 and 9 November. It saw the return of the All-Stars team that in 2007 featured such cricketing luminaries as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Shane Warne. West Indies batting great Brian Lara and New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming took part in the 2008 team. The All-Stars joined nine representative international teams in the tournament – 2007 champions Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, Pakistan, India, South Africa, Bangladesh and hosts Hong Kong.
The 2009 tournament was held from 31 October to 1 November and 8 Teams participated in this event.South Africa won the tournament by defeating Hong Kong in the final.
In 2011, the Hong Kong Cricket Association have been awarded HK$3.5 million from the Hong Kong SAR government's Mega Event Fund for the KARP Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes. In line with the objectives of the Mega Events Fund to promote the SAR as an events capital of Asia, the HKCA have confirmed some exciting innovations for the event. These include expanding the tournament from two to three days, with tournament play to start on the Friday of the event weekend. The field will also be increased from 8 to 12 teams – three of them national teams from world cricket powers and the fourth an invitational squad of international legends, emulating the All Star format that helped make the 2007 Sixes a big hit among fans.[1]
In 2013, the Hong Kong Cricket Association cancelled the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes due to the difficulty in securing government funding and private sector backing.[2]
Match rules
The Laws of Cricket apply, except:
- Games are played between two teams of six players, and each game consists of a maximum of five six-ball overs bowled by each side (eight-ball overs in the final match).[3]
- Each member of the fielding side bowls one over, with the exception of the wicket-keeper.
- Wides and no-balls count as two runs.
- If five wickets fall before 5 overs are completed, the last remaining batsman bats on with the fifth batsman acting as a runner. He always takes strike. The innings is complete when the sixth wicket falls.
- Batsmen retire not out on reaching 31 runs. The idea being to reach 36 runs by hitting 6 sixes. A retired batsman can return to the crease after lower-order batsmen either retire or are out.
- A tournament points system awards two points for each match won.
Past winners
Successful Teams
| Team | Winner | Runner up |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan (5) | 1992; 1997; 2001; 2002; 2011 | 2003; 2006; 2010; 2012 |
| England (5) | 1993; 1994; 2003; 2004;2008 | 1995; 1997; 2002; 2011 |
| South Africa (4) | 1995; 2006; 2009; 2012 | 2001 |
 Australia (1) | 2010 | 1994; 2008 |
 Sri Lanka (1) | 2007 | 1993; 2004 |
 West Indies (1) | 1996 | 2005 |
 India (1) | 2005 | 1992; 1996; |
See also
References
- ↑ "Sixes boost". The Standard. 2 August 2011.
- ↑ "Just not cricket as Sixes bowled out". The Standard. 12 September 2013.
- ↑ "Hong Kong Cricket Sixes Rules & Regulations". www.hkcricketsixes.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2010.