MEDIA
RELEASE
PAKISTAN AND ENGLAND ANNOUNCE STAR-STUDDED
LINE-UPS FOR 2003 CATHAY PACIFIC/STANDARD CHARTERED HONG KONG
CRICKET SIXES
HONG KONG, September
30: Defending champions Pakistan and last year's runners-up
England have both confirmed strong line-ups for the 2003 Cathay
Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International
Cricket Sixes.
Moin Khan returns with powerful
Pakistan team
© Cricinfo
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Pakistan, who will be bidding for an unprecedented
third successive Hong Kong Sixes crown, will be led by the combative
Moin Khan
for the second year in a row.
Also returning from
last year's triumphant team will be
Imran Nazir and Naved Latif, who scored a match-winning innings
in the three-wicket Cup final defeat of England to capture
the Man-of-the-Match award.
Completing the seven-man squad for the top
seeds will be outstanding utility player Azhar Mahmood, flamboyant
all-rounder
Shahid
Afridi, stylish left-hand opener Imran Farhat and Bilal Asad.
Pakistan have been
drawn in Pool 1 in the ninth edition of the world's premier
Sixes tournament that will be hosted by the Kowloon Cricket
Club on November 1-2 and boasts a prize fund
of US$260,000.
In the Pool phase they will face arch-rivals
India, tournament hosts Hong Kong, and New Zealand, who will
be appearing in
the tournament for the first time since 1996.
Meanwhile, England have been drawn in Pool
2 where they can expect stern opposition from South Africa, Sri
Lanka and
tournament debutants Kenya.
The English challenge
will be spearheaded by Matthew Maynard, making his fifth visit
to the Sixes. Captain
of the team
last year, the 37-year-old will be aiming for this team to
go one
better than in 2002 by ending Pakistan's recent domination
of the event – and laying his hands on the trophy this
time.
Helping him in his
quest will be four other players with Test match experience – Glamorgan teammate Robert Croft, rising
star Kabir Ali who enjoyed a successful campaign with Worcestershire
in the English County Championship, paceman Chris Silverwood
of Yorkshire and Leicestershire's Darren Maddy.
Making up the English
squad will be Lancashire's Glen Chapple
and Scottish-born all-rounder Dougie Brown, both of whom
have past Hong Kong Sixes experience.
Tickets for the 2003
Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket
Sixes are selling fast. 'Early bird' two-day
ticket prices have been set at HK$300 for adults and HK$150
for children under the age of 15. The early bird ticket price
offer
has been extended from September 30 to October 17. From October
18, the prices will increase to HK$380 for adults and HK$200
for children.
Games are played in five-over innings, with
each team member, other than the wicket-keeper, bowling one over.
The eight
competing teams are split into two groups of four and play
each other
on a round-robin basis on day one.
The top two teams in each pool progress to
the Cup competition knockout stages, while the bottom two teams
in each of
the pools compete for the Plate.
Pakistan squad: Moin Khan (captain), Azhar
Mahmood, Shahid Afridi, Naved Latif, Bilal Asad, Imran Nazir,
Imran Farhat.
England squad: Kabir Ali, Dougie Brown, Glen
Chapple, Robert Croft, Darren Maddy, Matthew Maynard, Chris
Silverwood.
The 2003 Cathay Pacific/Standard
Chartered
Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes will take place at
Kowloon Cricket Club, 10 Cox's Road, Kowloon on November
1-2. Early bird two-day passes cost HK$300 for adults and
HK$150 for children
aged 15 years and younger, and are on sale through Cityline
(www.cityline.com.hk)
as well as at the following outlets:
- Hong Kong Cricket Club
(137 Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, Happy Valley, 2574 6266);
- Kowloon Cricket Club (10
Cox's Road, Jordan,
2367 4141);
- Dot Cod Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar
(Prince's Building, Central 2810 6988);
- Hong Kong Cricket Association (Room 1019 Sports House, 1
Stadium Path, So Kon Po,
2504 8102).
Provided by CCIL/Hong Kong Cricket Association. For further
information, please contact Danny Lai at (852) 2504-8102.
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