Pools for Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011: England in Pool B with Australia, Bangladesh and Ireland

[HD video below] There is less than 60 days to go until the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes 2011 weekend, which will be held at the Kowloon Cricket Club from Friday, 28 October to Sunday, 30 October 2011.

Among the tournament innovations this year is the first ever international T20 cricket match in Hong Kong. The T20 match will feature the All Stars and Team China playing a combined side drawn from the remaining 11 teams in the tournament.

The T20 showcase match will be played under a modified format with nine players per side, each playing innings of twenty overs of six balls per over. The match will be played on the opening day of the tournament, Friday, 28 October starting at 1500.

This year, the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is being supported by the Mega Events Fund for the first time and has been granted official M Mark status for the fourth consecutive year. The support has enabled the Hong Kong Cricket Association to expand the tournament from 8 to 12 teams and to extend tournament play across the three full days.

Mr Ramesh Maldar, Managing Director of Karp Group said, “Karp Group is a proud sponsor of the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes and a firm supporter of cricket in Hong Kong. The Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is one of our premier sponsorships and holds great appeal for our corporate clients and staff. We are delighted to see the Mega Events fund join us in our support for the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes and are excited to see the tournament growing from strength to strength in 2011.”

The 12 teams for the Hong Kong Sixes 2011 will be pooled into three groups of four teams each.

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.

Hong Kong Cricket Sixes Tournament Director Glyn Davies said, “The expansion to 12 teams has helped raise the international profile of the Cricket Sixes. The addition of the new teams also offers some tantalizing match-ups including clashes between England and Ireland, Pakistan and India and Australia and England in pool play alone. The T20 game also provides a showcase for the tournament on Friday and sets the tone for the heavy-hitting excitement to follow.”

For the first time at the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes both the Men’s and Women’s national teams of China will be participating in the event. Team China will be in action with exhibition matches over the weekend between the China and Hong Kong Women’s national teams and a China men’s exhibition match on Sunday, 30 October 2011.

The Hong Kong Cricket Association also introduced a reduced price single-day ticket for Friday, 28 October 2011. Tickets can be purchased individually for the Friday of the tournament at a cost of HK$100 for adults and HK$50 for children.

“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 Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sales 2011 went on sale today, Friday, 2 September 2011 via the Hong Kong Ticketing website 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 will be HK$380.

Pool A: All Stars, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Scotland.
Pool B: Australia, England, Bangladesh and Ireland.
Pool C: Pakistan, South Africa, India and Hong Kong.

Interview with Glyn Davies, Tournament Director - Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes

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