The popular Hong Kong Sixes, last held in 2012, will be making a triumphant return with the two-day tournament set to be played at Kowloon Cricket Club on October 28 and 29, 2017.
The action-packed fast-nature of the game had been a viewers delight ever since it was first played in 1992 and now makes a comeback with a promise of improved technology – giving a new identity to the sport.
“Everyone in the cricket community in Hong Kong is delighted to have the Sixes confirmed as being back on our calendar,” Cricket Hong Kong Director Jonathan Cummings said.
“We love what the Sixes was and are passionate about bringing the best bits with us, but we won’t be satisfied putting on the same show as in 2012.
“This will be the Sixes 2.0 and over time, we want to make this the most hi-tech, innovative cricket tournament in the world. The emergence of Twenty20 leagues around the world is great, but this is an opportunity to create a different a experience for cricket lovers and to engage new fans to the sport.””It’s a format where we aren’t bound by the traditional rules of the game, so we will design everything to provide maximum entertainment value and engagement,” he added.
The successful organization of Hong Kong Blitz in March, 2017 and the fact that it drew 12 million views on its livestream has heartened the bosses at Cricket Hong Kong (CHK), who are now looking forward to a bigger audience during the Sixes.
“We see the Sixes as a key cog in our local engagement strategy,” Cummings said. “We’ve already launched the Junior Cricket Sixes into local schools and we look forward to connecting that programme with the October event. Anyone can enjoy Sixes cricket, lots of big hits and great entertainment with no breaks, so you don’t need to have grown up loving the game to enjoy it. We think it has a role to play within the region in promoting the sport,” he added.
Kowloon Cricket Club, which has hosted the tournament for all but one season since its inception in 1992, will return as the venue for this year’s tournament, being played for the first time since 2012. Its President, David Brettell, was thrilled at the propect of cricket returning to the venue.
“We are looking forward to have the International Cricket Sixes back at Kowloon Cricket Club,” he said. “It is hoped that the return of the Cricket Sixes will fill the niche market for the shorter form of the game in Hong Kong of which the Sixes has previously been the showpiece. KCC is in full support of Cricket Hong Kong’s efforts to reinstate the event.
“We are delighted to welcome back the Sixes to the KCC and we are excited to be partnering with Cricket Hong Kong in their endeavour to bring a world class sporting event to Hong Kong”, Brettell added.
The venue can boast of a capacity of 2,000 persons for each day and grandstands and corporate boxes will be added – to the existing pavilions at the ground. “We’d like to extend our thanks to Kowloon Cricket Club,” Cummings said.”The venue is perfect for Sixes cricket and they have the experience in providing world class hospitality and service and will host spectators to an outstanding weekend.
“We can’t wait for October to come around and call on the cricket community to get behind us. We’ve got two big events a year now and we’re very excited about the impact this can have on promoting the game in Hong Kong”, he concluded.
The teams will be confirmed before the end of July with a minimum of six nations expected to compete in the marquee event.
