The Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is a six-a-side international cricket tournament held at the Kowloon Cricket Club and Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok comprising between eight and twelve teams. Organised by Cricket Hong Kong, it is sanctioned by the International Cricket Council. The tournament is designed for television viewing, 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.
| Countries |  Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Hong Kong Cricket Board |
| Format | 6 Overs match |
| First edition | 1992 |
| Latest edition | 2024 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin tournament and Knockout |
| Number of teams |
|
| Current champion |  Sri Lanka (2nd title) |
| Most successful |  Pakistan  England  South Africa (5 titles each) |
| Website | Official website |
All editions of the tournament have been held at the Kowloon Cricket Club except for the 1996 and 1997 editions, which were held at the Hong Kong Stadium[1][2] and the 2024 edition was held in Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok .
History
editPakistan is the most successful team of the tournament. Pakistan won 5 titles and also finished runner ups in 5 titles. In 2007, Sri Lanka defeated an All-Stars team (featuring players such as Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Shane Warne) to take the title.
The All-Stars returned for the 2008 event with West Indies batting great Brian Lara and New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as members. They joined nine representative international teams in the tournament – defending champions Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and hosts Hong Kong.
The 2009 tournament, held from 31 October to 1 November, saw eight teams competing, with South Africa defeating Hong Kong in the final.
In 2011, the Hong Kong Cricket Association was awarded HK$3.5 million by the Hong Kong SAR government's Mega Event Fund (MEF) to organise the event, with added sponsorship from the KARP Group. To comply with the Mega Events Fund's objectives of promoting Hong Kong as an events capital in Asia, some changes were made to the format. These included expanding the tournament from two to three days, with tournament play starting on the Friday of the event weekend. The field was also increased from 8 to 12 teams with the addition of three more national teams and an invitational squad of international players.[3]
The HKCA did not make another MEF application in 2012 due to time constraints, preferring instead to rely on a smaller grant through the government's 'M' Mark scheme. This resulted in a downscaled tournament played over two days on 27–28 October with eight teams (excluding the All-Stars side).[4]
In 2013, the Hong Kong Cricket Association's applications for MEF contributions (at first HK$10 million then revised to HK$5 million) were turned down, leaving it with a budget of HK$1 million from the M-Mark scheme to organise the tournament. The association felt that a further HK$500,000 to HK$1 million would be needed to organise the tournament and cancelled it after not securing private sponsorship.[5]
On 28 June 2017, Cricket Hong Kong announced that the Hong Kong Sixes would return on 28–29 October following a five-year absence. The event that year took place at the Kowloon Cricket Club.[6]
Match rules
editThe Laws of Cricket apply, except:
- Games are played between two teams of six players, and each game consists of a maximum of six(6) six-ball overs bowled by each side (eight-ball overs in the final match).[7]
- Each member of the fielding side bowls one over, with the exception of the wicket-keeper.
- Wides and no-balls count as the usual extra run to the batting side, plus an extra ball. But there are no free hits for no balls.
- 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 50 runs. 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.
Tournament results
edit
Most successful teams
edit| Team | Tournaments won | Years won | Tournaments runner-up | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pakistan |
5 | 1992, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2011 | 6 | 2003, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2024 |
 England |
5 | 1993, 1994, 2003, 2004, 2008 | 4 | 1995, 1997, 2002, 2011 |
 South Africa |
5 | 1995, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2017 | 1 | 2001 |
 Sri Lanka |
2 | 2007, 2024 | 2 | 1993, 2004 |
 Australia |
1 | 2010 | 2 | 1994, 2008 |
 India |
1 | 2005 | 2 | 1992, 1996 |
 West Indies |
1 | 1996 | 1 | 2005 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hong Kong Sixes organisers want to replicate Rugby Sevens success – but they need a bigger venue". South China Morning Post. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "HK: Cricket Sixes switch to HK Stadium (1 Jun 1996)". ESPN. 1 June 1996. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Sixes boost". TheStandard.com.hk. 2 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. place before
- ^ Sallay, Alvin (18 September 2012). "Hong Kong Sixes down to eight teams because of a shortage of funds". SCMP.com. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Sallay, Alvin (11 September 2013). "Hong Kong Sixes scrapped due to lack of sponsorship". SCMP.com. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ "HK Sixes back on – 'Maximum entertainment' vowed". The Standard (Hong Kong). 29 June 2017.
- ^ "Hong Kong Cricket Sixes Rules & Regulations". hkcricketsixes.com. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ https://i.imgci.com/db/ARCHIVE/1992-93/OTHERS ICC/HONG_KONG_6S/HKG-6S_1992-93_SUMMARY.html
- ^ "HK_SIXES: Hong Kong Sixes Oct 1993 - Scores". i.imgci.com. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Hong Kong Sixes 2017". Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
External links
edit- Cricket Hong Kong Sixes homepage Archived 13 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 February 2017