ENGLAND AIMING FOR HAT-TRICK OF TITLES AT CATHAY PACIFIC/STANDARD CHARTERED HONG KONG CRICKET SIXES

There will be plenty of great action at Kowloon Cricket Club this weekend © CCIL

Hong Kong, October 21: Defending champions England will be looking over their shoulders at a number of teams eager to knock them off their pedestal at the Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes 2005 this weekend.

As England aim for a hat-trick of consecutive titles and a record fifth overall, teams such as Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka have their own reasons for seeking the downfall of Robert Croft's men.

Pakistan are also four-time winners of the tournament and are themselves looking to be the first to five titles. Australia have Ashes revenge on their minds while, for the Sri Lankans, last year's final defeat is still fresh in their minds.

England are without last year's captain Matthew Maynard, who hit the winning runs in the Cup final and Croft acknowledges the difficulties facing his side.

"We will certainly be missing Matthew," said Croft, whose side face Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Australia in Pool 1. "It would be nice to make it a hat-trick but we can't rely too much on what's happened before. There are a lot of good teams out there."

Pakistan captain Moin Khan was part of the winning side in 2002 and led the team to the final in 2003. He said England would once again be the team to beat.

"England have a very strong squad and the fact that they are going for three in a row is a big incentive for them," said Moin, whose team head Pool 2, which also features South Africa, West Indies and India.

"We have a pretty strong team. The youngsters don't have much experience in this type of cricket and our chances will depend a lot on how they perform."

Apart from being four-time winners, Pakistan are the only team so far to have won three straight titles in Hong Kong – although it was a four-year wait between their 1997 and 2001 victories during which time the tournament took a break. Pakistan also triumphed in 2002 while England have held the trophy since 2003.

Australia, still seething after their Test team's defeat to England in Ashes, are another team packed with youngsters. Discounting 37-year-old captain Tim Nielsen, the Aussies boast an average age of 21.

Although none of the team has played for the Australian senior side, Nielsen is confident that Hong Kong fans will be seeing the stars of the future.

"The boys we have here are from our Cricket Academy Centre of Excellence and the international experience they gain will be exceptional," said Nielsen, head of the Brisbane Cricket Academy.

"They haven't played this form of cricket before so it's certainly a challenge for them. We have high hopes for the tournament and hope to win a few games."

Australia's Pool 1 match against England, scheduled for 3.35 pm on Saturday, is sure to fire up memories of the recent Ashes series, which England won 2-1 in a stunning upset.

Added Nielsen: "Everyone is positive after the Ashes. There have been some changes for the good. No one likes to lose but it's made us look at ourselves and see how we are going forward so that we can bounce back."

Sri Lanka have twice lost to England in the Cup final, their first defeat coming at the 1993 tournament.

Captain Saman Jayantha, Player of the Tournament in 2003, is hoping they can reverse the trend, starting with their group match against the English on Saturday, scheduled for 2 pm.

"Hopefully, this time we can come out on top," said Jayantha, who missed last year's tournament.

Two-day tickets for the 2005 Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes are available on the gate 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 2005 Cathay Pacific/Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes will take place at Kowloon Cricket Club, 10 Cox's Road, Kowloon on October 22-23. Two-day passes cost HK$300 for adults and HK$150 for children aged 15 and under, and are on sale through Cityline at (www.cityline.com) 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).

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