Superstar Kiwi duo coming to Kowloon

New Zealand will return to the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes as legitimate title contenders after naming international short-game specialists Craig McMillan and Scott Styris in their squad for the 2009 tournament, to be played at the Kowloon Cricket Club on October 31-November 1.

First played in 1992, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is the longest-running international tournament of its kind and will this year celebrate its 15th edition. As such, the Sixes has been included by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a 'Catch the Spirit' event to celebrate the global governing body's centenary celebrations.

New Zealand, who did not play in Hong Kong in 2008, have never won the Sixes and will be determined to set that record straight with the big-hitting McMillan returning to entertain cricket fans.

The 33-year-old batsman won the Ben Hollioake Trophy as the Player of the Tournament in 2007 as a member of the All Stars, repeatedly setting his side on the way to big scores when opening the batting. He also ventured to the 1995 Sixes earlier in his career.

McMillan's power hitting is ideally suited to the Kowloon Cricket Club, ably illustrated by having belted a tournament-best 13 sixes in the first World Twenty20 championship in 2007. He recently returned to domestic cricket to play Twenty20s for Canterbury and to share his experience with some of the province's rising stars.

Said McMillan: "I cannot wait to get back to Hong Kong for the Sixes, which is one of the great weekends of the international cricket world. I have great memories from my first Sixes almost 15 years ago and, of course, coming back to play really well in 2007.

"I like the new pool system and look forward to giving the Aussies and South Africans a real fight to get through to the Cup rounds," added McMillan, a veteran of 197 one-day internationals (ODIs) who teamed with India's Anil Kumble on the All-Star team that finished runners-up in 2007.

Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Styris, a member of the IPL-winning Deccan Chargers earlier this year, will come to Hong Kong hot off playing in the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League (October 8-23) for his Indian team.

Competing alongside players such as Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds with Deccan, the all-rounder (right-hand bat, right-arm medium bowler) has become one of the sport's finest exponents of cricket's shortest forms having also played 157 ODIs.

The New Zealand squad also includes several other big names, with Peter Fulton, who has played 49 ODIs, and Craig Spearman, who has played 51, on the team. Corey Anderson and Anaru Kitchen will also be representing the Kiwis, to be managed by Steve Wilkins, with another player to be confirmed.

At last week's tournament launch, it was announced one of the sport's biggest names, Anil Kumble, will play for traditional crowd favourites India at the Kowloon Cricket Club from October 31-November 1.

Captain Shahzada Saleem Ahmed, President of the Hong Kong Cricket Association, commented: "We are focused on putting on an extremely competitive Hong Kong Cricket Sixes in 2009. By welcoming great players like Craig and Scott, plus Anil Kumble's participation with this year's India team, we are well on the way to once again having a wonderful weekend of cricket."

Ticket prices have also been revised in 2009, allowing fans to purchase two-day passes for $HK680 for adults, a 13 per cent discount over last year, while children's tickets will be available for $380, a reduction of 15 per cent.

To give spectators greater flexibility, for the first time single-day passes will also be available at $HK300 (Saturday)/$470 (Sunday) for adults and $180 (Saturday/$220 (Sunday) for kids. Tickets are on sale through HK Ticketing, the Kowloon and Hong Kong Cricket Clubs and Dot Cod restaurant in Central.

The 2009 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes will feature a new pool system with teams grouped into the Northern Hemisphere, which will feature defending champions England alongside India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and hosts Hong Kong.

The host broadcaster for the 2009 Hong Kong Cricket Sixes will again be Taj TV-owned Ten Sports from Dubai, who will provide a live broadcast of the entire event into Hong Kong, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and South Africa.

Additional coverage will also be seen in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and China. The 2008 Sixes was broadcast to 80 million households worldwide.

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In 2009, the Sixes has been selected as an ICC Centenary Celebration World Event and will feature a special ceremony to honour 100 years of the International Cricket Council and the Spirit of Cricket.

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).

In a nod to the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes reputation for being a breeding ground of young talent, amongst the leading scorers in the final was Jonathan Trott, who scored a century on debut in England's Ashes win last month, along with Australia's Twenty20 opening bat wunderkind David Warner.

Damien McDowell
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Erica Liu
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E: eliu@brand-rapport.com