YOUNG AUSTRALIANS READY TO ROAR IN CATHAY PACIFIC-STANDARD CHARTERED HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL CRICKET SIXES

Tim Nielsen © Getty Images

Hong Kong, October 3: Australia have placed their faith in youth for this month's US$280,000 Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes.

Making a welcome return to the world's premier Sixes event after a two-year absence, a squad comprising a sextet of players tipped for future stardom will have every incentive to shine at the Kowloon Cricket Club on October 22-23.

The team will be managed by Geoff Allardice, Cricket Manager of Cricket Australia, and captained and coached by Tim Nielsen, the 37-year-old former South Australian player who is head coach of Australian cricket's Centre of Excellence.

The remaining six players, each currently representing a different state, have an average age of 21. Nathan Reardon (Queensland) and Ken Skewes (South Australia) are both 20, Dane Anderson (Tasmania) is 21, Beau Casson (Western Australia) and Daniel Christian (New South Wales) are both 22 and Liam Buchanan (Victoria) is 24.

Drawn in Pool 1, the Australians will commence their campaign against hosts Hong Kong in the opening match of the 2005 Sixes at 8.45 am on Saturday, October 22.

They will then face Sri Lanka, last year's beaten Cup finalists, in the final match before the lunch break. In the afternoon, they tackle a powerful England team, and will be intent on restoring national pride after seeing their country lose their hold on the Ashes in a thrilling series during the summer.

Clive Howard, Chairman of the Hong Kong Cricket Association (HKCA), said: “We're delighted to see Australia return to the Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes.

“They're bringing a talented group of young cricketers who may well go on to be the next generation of Test match stars, as did England's Andrew Flintoff after his appearance here in 2001. I'm sure they will be fired up for their first encounter with an England team since losing the Ashes!”

Given their dominance of Test cricket over the past decade, Australia's record at the Sixes is surprisingly poor. Only once have they reached the Cup final, losing to England in 1994.

On their last two appearances in Hong Kong, in 2001 and 2002, they failed to qualify for the Cup competition, losing nine of their 10 games.

With Nielsen at the helm, an improved showing is anticipated. Nielsen, who played 101 first-class games as a wicketkeeper-batsman and whose 316 dismissals were a South Australia record, took over as head coach of the Cricket Academy in Brisbane this year.

After working with the Australian team as an assistant and performance analyst since 2002, Nielsen said he was excited by the prospect of leading the Australian Institute of Sport men's programme.

He said: “This is a tremendous opportunity and I am thrilled and excited at the challenge that lies ahead. I have gained immeasurable experience working closely with the Australian side over the past few years and I am really looking forward to making a positive contribution to the players coming through the ranks of Australian cricket.”

Among those players are Buchanan, Christian and Skewes, all of whom have represented Australia at under-19 level.

While Australia will be eager to impress in their pool matches, Pool 2 offers an equally enthralling prospect with four-time champions Pakistan taking on India, South Africa and West Indies.

The all-action short form version of the game has been thrilling the SAR crowds since its inception in 1992 and with seven Test-playing nations competing this year, HKCA officials are confident that the 2005 event will be the best yet.

Two-day tickets for the 2005 Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes are currently on sale at HK$300 for adults and HK$150 for children aged 15 and under.

Games are played in five-over innings, with each team member, other than the wicketkeeper, bowling one over. The eight competing teams are split into two groups of four and will play each other on a round-robin basis on day one.

The top two teams in each pool will progress to the Cup competition knockout stages, while the bottom two teams in each of the pools will compete for the Plate.

AUSTRALIAN SQUAD: Dane Anderson, Liam Buchanan, Beau Casson, Daniel Christian, Tim Nielsen, Nathan Reardon, Ken Skewes.

Provided by the Hong Kong Cricket Association. For further information, please contact Dave Poon or Danny Lai at (852) 2504-8101.