Read uncertain over England title defence

England will turn up at the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes this weekend with the honour of being defending champions, but captain Chris Read has no idea whether his team will be able to successfully retain the title.

The English claimed last year's crown with victory over age-old rivals Australia in the final to continue a run that has seen England win the Kowloon Cricket Club-based tournament on three of the last six years.

But despite that run of success, the unique nature of the competition leaves Read and the rest of his team uncertain over who will present England with the biggest threat to their title.

"Everyone comes here in the same frame of mind," said the former test wicketkeeper.

"England over the years have been pretty successful in this tournament and we want to back up the good work the boys did last year.

"But I couldn't tell you who will be the biggest threat - it could be any number of teams.

"I've had a quick glance at the teams and there are some guys who I recognise and some guys that I don't but in such a short form of the game you can't rule any one thing in or out.

"It's an unknown but it's a great thing to be part of and because of the nature of the competition you just can't make any predictions. We'll just have to wait and see."

England will begin their quest for a second straight title when they take on Pakistan in the North Group on Saturday morning before facing off against India and Sri Lanka later in the day.

The South group, meanwhile, will feature hosts Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand with the top two teams in each section progressing to the Cup competition while the others will play in Sunday's Plate competition.

Read was not part of the England team who won last year's title but, with the Twenty20 form of the game having taken off in a major way, the 31-year-old is expecting the standard to have improved since his last appearance in Hong Kong.

"We're a month out of our season now and the boys have had a well-earned break," said Read. "So this could be interesting.

"I came to this tournament four or five years ago and I expect the standard to have gone up since then with the amount of Twenty20 cricket that is being played.

"The innovations that form of the game has brought into the sport should be especially prevalent in this form of the game and hopefully we will see some inventive cricket.

"Before Twenty20 the shortest form of the game was played with 50 overs on the international front. Five overs is incredibly short and it provides a very entertaining game.

"Twenty20 has helped us to develop the shorter form of the game and develop our skills, and that goes for batsmen, bowlers and fielders."

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About the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes
Six-a-side cricket is the quickest, most fun-filled version of the game - a feast of world-class players, thrilling matches and big hits. First played in 1992, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is the longest-running and highest-profile Sixes tournament in the world. It offers two days of fast and furious action in a festival atmosphere - eight international teams, 45-minute clashes and global television coverage.

Stars who have taken part include Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Javed Miandad, Steve and Mark Waugh, Viv Richards, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Adam Gilchrist, Wasim Akram, MS Dhoni and Sanath Jayasuriya.

The Sixes won the prestigious 2007 ICC Award for Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award.

England recorded a record fifth Sixes title last year after a stunning final in which they finished tied with Australia on 121 runs. When Australian batsman Stephen O'Keefe was run out attempting a second run from the final delivery that would have given his team victory, England were confirmed victors as they had lost fewer wickets (three wickets to one).

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