Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes
Tickets Schedule Scorecards Points Table Squads Prize Money Playing Conditions Multimedia Statistics History Venue Sponsors
Media Release
COMMENTARY DAY2 - 12 NOVEMBER 2006
By Doug Jones

Welcome to day 2 of the Hong Kong Cricket 6s at the Kowloon Cricket Club. It is a warm sunny day, temperature around 25 degrees with a slight breeze drifting across the ground taking the edge off the heat. We look forward to some pretty hot cricket though especially from Pakistan who looked the real deal yesterday. That having been said they looked awesome in 2005 and imploded in the semi-finals against India. Their 2006 team looks more balanced in bowling and batting and I predict they will prevail but as Ritchie says, it’s a funny old game.

Match Twelve - New Zealand Kiwis v. Sri Lanka, Cowdrey Group

Spearman starts with a single and Petrie with a sweep for 4. SL won the toss. Petrie faces Lokuarachichi and hits him for 6 over mid-wicket.. Big over that and NZ are 0 for 22. Lokuhettige to bowl and NZ take 2 leg byes. Petrie flicks the next ball to the boundary behind square leg and then pushes down the ground for a single. Spearman is bowled trying to force across the line and out comes Mark Bailey who is off with a single. Petrie is bowled off the last ball and a great over for SL with NZ now 2 for 30. Sulzberger to the crease to be bowled by the SL skipper Jayantha. SL taking all the pace off the ball making NZ force their shots. Baily is out caught at square leg by Gajanayake having hit the ball quite well and looks disappointed. Steve Brown to bat with NZ in deep trouble at 3 for 38. Weeranthe to bowl and Sulzberger plays a flick to the boundary off his pads then places the next ball through cover for 4. Nz needs plenty of these. A very very hard shot back at the bowler. 6 over long off followed by another just clear the rope, low and fast. Miss filed by SL and NZ take an over throw. With 1 over to go NZ are 3 for 61. Gajanayake to bowl and starts with a wide and a 6 just over square legs outstretched arms, another over long on then over mid-wicket and Sulzberger retires on 33. Danny Morrison to face and punches the ball to mid-wicket for one. NZ run a quick double and SL drop the return to miss the run out. NZ finish with a 6 off the last ball and a very respectable total of 90 for 3 off their allotted 5 overs. SL have struggled this year with their batting so we might have a close game to start the day.

Sulzberger to bowl to Lokuhettige. Sun blazing now. SL 2 swings and a miss. Kandambi hits Sulzberger through covers for 4 and gets a knick to 3rd man for 4. At the end of the 1st over Sl are 12 for 0 wicket. Sulzberger in everything and catches Kandambi at wide mid off. Incoming batsman is Weerathne and he’s bowled by Danny Morrison. Lokuarachichi comes in, takes a step forward and takes Morrison on the full to the fence and then over long on for 6. Juggling catch by Sulzberger and Lokuarachichi is out. SL are 22 for 3 as Jayantha comes in to face Spearman. SL making it in singles and will fall well short of the NZ total. Consecutive 6s add some respectability. Sulzberger takes his 3rd catch at deep mid on and Weerathne is out and Gajanayake to the crease with Petrie to bowl the 2nd last over to SL. Incoming.. .6 to the commentary box! Dangerous position this. 1 over to go and SL are 52 for 4 chasing 90, more than a 6 every legitimate delivery. SL crowd very quiet, either tense, sleepy or depressed. Steve Brown bowling in the RayBan’s goes to the boundary. Catch in bay 13 is the highlight of that over and SL finish with 74.

[Scorecard]

Match Thirteen - Pakistan v. England, Bradman Group

Pakistan won the toss and will bat. Imran Nazir and Yasir Arafat to open to Dominic Cork with umpires Walsh and Silva and England start with a wide down leg side. The Pakistan segment of the crowd lights up. No big 6s yet and Cork sends down a bouncer which is a no ball and Arafat picks it up backward of square for 6, twice in a row. At the end of the 1st over Pakistan have grown in confidence and are 27 for 0. Darren Gough to try to staunch the flow of runs. Great length, worked for only a single by Nazir. Straight drive for 4 but Gough has the batsmen playing in his areas but that has gone very big out of the ground. One swing too many and Gough has bowled Nazir with the score on 39. Raza to bat and he turns Gough to fine leg for 4. Next bowler is Bresnan to Arafat and although the runs have slowed the momentum is still with Pakistan. Raza hits successive 4s to both sides of the wicket. Arafat hits 31 and retires and Latif enters the fray to face Kabir Ali. Pakistan are 69 with 8 balls to go and if they unwind they will set England a difficult total with their bowling attack. Darren Maddy to bowl the last over to Latif. Just 4s and 1s so far. Slower ball and planned run out by the keeper and Latif head to the pavilion. Tahir Mughal to bat. Another change of pace by Maddy inducing a swing and a miss. And he’s bowled Raza for 25 with 1 ball to go. Riaz Afridi to face, hit a 4 and takes Pakistan to 85 after their 5 over allotment.

Maddy and Loye to face Afridi from the Bowling Green end. Good start for England with a 4. Afridi keeps it tight and England are 0 for 12 at the end of the 1st over. Latif has gone for a 6 and a 4 off the 1st 2 balls and Loye is in the groove. England have raced away to 33 with 3 overs to go. Nazir to bowl with his hat on. He does well and at the end of the over England are 0 for 48. Mughal to bowl from the Clubhouse end. Loye retires and Kabir Ali comes in. England need some boundaries but its not happening. Boundaries boys, not byes. Ali plays an unorthodox one handed chip over square leg for 6! Thorough search of the coaching manual is unrevealing. Good sustained Pakistani pressure takes England’s score to 62 needing 24 off the last – same as England India last night!! Arafat to Ali – all Pakistani affair and Sussex Worcestershire as well. Its too much for England who can only manage singles. Maddy is caught by Latif off the last ball and Pakistan will play India for a place in the final at 12:30. Not such a comprehensive victory but convincing all the same as the England team was not without its stars.

[Scorecard]

Match Fourteen - Australia v. Sri Lanka, Cowdrey Group

A game for 8th place or there abouts. Simpson and Ronchi to face. Simpson run out without facing a ball. Foolish cricket. First time Simpson has been out in the tournament. Schoolboy error. Oz looking very slow and disinterested – may be the well known Wanchai effect. At the end of the 1st Oz are 1 for 9. Lokuhettige to bowl with Oz doing it in 1s using French cuts and bat-pads. Finally Ronchi loads up and fires 2 into the crowd with the score 1 for 32 after 2 overs. Jayantha to bowl to David Bandy and another suicidal 2nd and Bandy’s on his bike. You can’t run a quick 2nd with a headache! John Hastings comes in but Ronchi is now caught at deep long off by Lokuhettige. Matthew Gale to the centre with Oz 3 for 38. Hastings hits a 6 and a 4  - The Berger informs me that the Battle of Hastings was in 1066 – totally inappropriate. Hastings is lashing out and the 6s are flying about as the crowd takes cover. Weerathne has gone for plenty and Oz are now 74 with 1 over remaining. Big 6 for Hastings who retires on 35. Wade and Gale to finish and Wade is caught behind off a skier and Hastings returns and belts the ball out of the park. Oz surprisingly finish on 94 for 4.

SL led out by Jayantha and Weerathne with Simpson to bowl. Jayantha starts with 4  6s, as easy as you like and at the end of the 1st SL are 29 for 0. Ronchi to bowl to Jayantha. Ronchi doing a good job and SL move on to 37, with 3 overs to go. Matthew Gale to bowl with the breeze coming over his left shoulder. Very good length and Jayantha jumps down the wicket and crunches a 6 and retires with Lokuarachchi to the middle but he’s caught by Simpson in the deep bringing in Weerathne. 2 overs remain for SL who are 1 for 58. Hastings to bowl and the crowd call for a no ball as it is marginally short. The next ball smashes into the stumps and Weerathne returns with Gajanayake coming to the middle and he loses his middle stump 1st ball. Wijekoon faces the hat-trick ball and survives with SL 62 and 1 over remaining needing 32 runs to win. Bandy to bowl the last but SL have only managed 8 off the first 2 balls. Wicket off the last ball and SL are 4 for 80, losing to Australia by 14 runs.

[Scorecard]

Match Fifteen - South Africa v. Hong Kong, Sobers Group

Bodi and Morkel to open with Munir Dar to bowl for HK. Munir bowls a good lin but struggles to keep it that way and RSA capitalize and go on to 17 off the 1st. Irfan Ahmed to bowl from the Clubhouse, a skier, caught, not out, no ball, 3 runs! Its all happening – have you heard that before. Irfan keeps his concentration and keeps the ball straight and full until Bodi cracks him for 6 over mid wicket and Irfan replies by taking out his middle stump. One ball to go in this over and it is stroked for 4 to wide long off with RSA’s score moving to 39 for 1 after 2 overs. Henderson to face Fuzes and flicks it with his wrists to the boundary, then picks up the next for 6 in the same area. Dropped at long off, a flat catch that should have been taken but the energy in the ball exploded the fielders hands apart. At the end of the over RSA are 61 for 1 with Najeeb to bowl. Tyron Henderson swats another for 6 and retires on 35 with Nicky Boje to the crease as his replacement. HK struggling to stay in touch. One over to go and RSA on 82 and HK with a mountain to climb. Nadeem Ahmed to bowl the last with RSA ready to pounce and they start with a 4. Not a bad job by Nadeem to restrict RSA to 101 for 1 with 2 batsmen set. HK do not have the batting depth to attack that sort of total I’m afraid.

Dar and Najeeb start the fight for HK with Albie Morkel bowling for RSA after being injured following a clash of bodies in the middle yesterday. Dar cracks a boundary to square leg then skies one to be caught but it’s a no ball - cricket justice. Najeeb smashes the ball into the bowlers end stumps for none and then he is dropped at wide mid on for 4, finishing the over with a well struck 6. 19 off the 1st for HK. Nicky Boje to bowl and first ball claims the wicket of Najeeb. Irfan to bat and Dar cracks 2 balls for consecutive 6s and retires on 31 with Rahul Sharma to face - big chance of a run out here. Big swings but not connecting. At the end of the 2nd, HK are 37 for 1. Tsolekile to bowl and Sharma works him through gully for 4 and over mid wicket for 6 to the shouts of shabbash papa from the crowd. Fulfilling my prediction, Sharma is run out, taking an eternity to turn. Very nearly another run out as HK scamper for 2. HK 63 with 2 overs to go and Tyrone Henderson to bowl. Fuzes hits him for 6 off the front foot. Henderson find a length and the runs fall to singles. Fuzes doing a great job but finding the fielders more than the boundaries and now need 24 off the last with Bodi to bowl. 2 byes off 2 balls and game over. Fuzes hits a 6 but he needs 3 more off 3, but he can only manage a single. Great fight by HK but the job was too big and they finish 9 short of their target.

[Scorecard]

Match Sixteen - Australia v. New Zealand Kiwis, Cowdrey Group

When was the Battle of the Antipodeans Berger? Coming soon apparently. Kiwis to bat after winning the toss. Spearman and Petrie to open for NZ with Simpson to bowl and starts with a no ball. Spearman starts with a sweep to square leg for 4. Simpson struggling to find line and length but the batsmen struggling to hit him as well. At the end of the 1st NZ are 0 for 19 with Matthew Gale to bowl. Soft dismissal as Spearman chips the ball to midwicket to be caught by Simpson. Sulzberger to bat and Petrie hits Gale for 6. The game seems to be moving at a leisurely pace. This is the last game for both sides which might explain it. 3 overs remain and NZ are 38 for 1 with Luke Ronchi to bowl. Full toss pounded into the PLA barracks. Great reply as off stump is bent back by the very next ball. Steve Brown to the middle and NZ are 53 for 2 with 2 overs to be bowled. Hastings comes into bowl from the Clubhouse end. Ozzies throwing themselves into their work against their eastern cousins, far removed. Last over by Bandi and he bowls Sulzberger 1st ball. Mark Bailey to the crease. Woodwork re-erected and the bowling is spanked for successive 4s. NZ finish with 74 for 3.
The winner of this game takes away USD13,000 which should cover the beers on the way home – certainly an incentive for the Aussies.

NZ take the field and Oz batsmen are Simpson and Hastings with Sulzberger to bowl. Great over by Sulzberger, frustrating the Aussies with just 10 runs off the over. Petrie to bowl but the Aussies have hardly put bat to ball and Simpson’s stumps are ripped out of the ground and Ronchi to the middle but he’s out first ball lbw, hit on the full. Matthew Gale to face the hat trick and spanks it straight for 6. Hastings hits Wilkens big twice in a row to give the Aussies some hope. Dropped, Aussies run 3 and NZ supporters hang their heads. Hastings send another over the fence and Australia are back in the game and he retires on 35. Bandy to the crease. Steve Brown to bowl and Australia have pushed on to 66 with 1 over and 1 ball remaining. Aussies need 5 off the last over and they have asked for the beers to be put on ice. Craig Spearman to bowl the last and 1st ball whistles past umpire Walsh for 4 to the disappointment of the crowd. Australia take away the Cowdrey group winning by 4 wickets.

Next the BIG one, Pakistan v India and already the crowd has gone crazy.

[Scorecard]

Match Seventeen - Pakistan v. India, Bradman Group

Pakistan won the toss and will bat. Imran Nazir and Yasir Arafat come to the middle with Bangar to bowl and the 1st ball is out of here to a huge shout from the crowd. Imran send the next one even further and it’s a no ball. Drums, whistles and noise. Bangar good recovery but Nazir jumps down and smashes it into Austin Road as people on passing buses take cover. Joshi to bowl and Arafat joins the party and again and that one has cleared the clubhouse into Cox’s road. India are in shock. Pakistan are 50 off 10 balls!!! Raza to the middle as Arafat retires – bit of pressure on him to maintain the run rate at 5 runs a ball! Chopra to take over the bowling and India are desperate for something to happen to stop this Pakistani machine. A 6 over point another over square leg. Its carnage out there. Raza retires. Tahir to bat with Sodhi to bowl and Pakistan on 95 for 0 with 2 overs remaining and finally a wicket has fallen with Nazir out for 28 and Latif to the middle. This has been nothing short of spectacular. Tahir has hit the next ball into orbit. Gascoigne road takes a hit. At the end of the over Pakistan are 115 for 1 with Robin Singh to bowl the last over. This has been incredible and it continues. A 6 to finish and Pakistan have hit India for 131 which is the highest score ever at a HK 6s tournament. This is a mammoth task for India. Its goodnight from me and its goodnight from him as the 2 Ronnies used to say. India need 4.5 runs per ball. You have to have been here to believe it.

Lambs to the slaughter. Sodhi and Bangar – sounds like a drink. They have it all to do and they start with a boundary and another. The PLA are out on the roof observing activities and wondering is they are under attack. The 1st Indian wicket falls and Sodhi is out caught Arafat followed by Kanitkar. Afridi is bowling with a somewhat non-fluent action. Mr. Hair would take an interest. India are 21 off the first and Latif to bowl but India are understandably struggling with batting confidence after their hammering in the field. India now need more than 4s but 6s might and Bangar responds with a 6 for the large Indian contingent in the crowd and another as he scatters some picnickers in the outer. Nazir to bowl and a great running catch at deep mid-wicket sees Bangar back in the pavilion and brings Robin Singh into the middle. This game is all over and there are 2.5 overs remaining. India are 2 for 51 with Tahir Mughal to bowl the next and someone has been hit by a flat 6 in the crowd. India limping home with 1 over remaining and the Indian score on 70 for 2. Arafat to bowl the last over. India have managed a respectable 79 but Pakistan are through to the final.

[Scorecard]

Match Eighteen - South Africa v. West Indies, Sobers Group

WI to field and RSA led out by Bodi and Morkel. The winner goes into the final and I expect a close game. The bowler is Sammy to Morkel and he belts it for 6. Single and 2 fours take RSA to 17 off the 1st over with Deonarine to bowl the 2nd and he’s just been hit into southern China.  Sammy drops what he should have taken and it goes for 4 through his hands. Albie Morkel hits 32 to retire – might be a costly drop by Darren Sammy. Henderson joins Bodi. After the 2nd over RSA are 42 for 0. Sylvester Joseph to bowl the next and Henderson flicks him for 6 but is caught at deep mid-wicket next ball by Darren Sammy. Nickie Boje to the centre. The predominantly Indian and Pakistani crowd has gone quiet as they take lunch and watch this match unfold at what seems like a pedestrian pace compared to the Pakistani innings. 2 overs remain with RSA on 58 for 1 with Marlon Samuels to bowl. WI have slowed RSA  down a little as they manage and Sammy catches Bodi at mid-off with RSA 2 for 73 and 1 over remaining. Crandon to bowl to Tsolekile who turns it around the corner for a single. Crandon then uproots Boje’s stumps and Imraan Khan comes to the crease who starts with a big 6 well caught in the stand. RSA finish with 97 for 3 which might test the WI.

Marlon Samuels and Easuan Crandon to open for the WI with Albie Morkel to bowl. A skier drops between to players at deep extra cover followed by 6 over square leg. Samuels caught in the deep and Carlton Baugh comes in to replace him and he’s bowled first ball. Sylvester Joseph to face the hat trick ball and pushes a single to square leg. At the end of the 1st over, WI are 15 for 2 wickets. Boje bowls to Crandon who is caught behind off a top edge. Sammy comes in and edges one for 4 to fine leg. Joseph is clean bowled and Deonarine comes in with the WI in disarray at 27 for 4. The 3rd over for RSA to be bowled by Khan to Sammy. Deonarine belts two 6s and then he’s bowled. Last batsman standing is Darren Sammy and Deonarine becomes the runner to make up the pair, as it were. Sammy will face all balls from her on in. WI have imploded and Darren Sammy has to hit 55 off 12 deliveries – possible with Pakistan but not here. Tyrone Henderson to bowl and Sammy hits 3 clean 6s and then he’s caught at extra cover by Morkel and RSA go into the final.

[Scorecard]

Match Nineteen - Hong Kong v. England, 5th/6th Play-off

England won the toss and will bowl. HK led out by Munir Dar and Najeeb Amar with Cork to bowl from the Bowling Green end. HK run a bye to start their innings. Munir smashes Cork for a 6 and then a straight 4. Najeeb is caught Bresnan and Sharma makes his way to the centre with HK 1 for 14. Sharma takes strike and chops the ball backward of point for a single. Darren Gough to bowl the 2nd over to Sharma who pushes a single to mid on. Big 6 well struck by Dar and then he repeats the dose which excites the crowd. Sharma runs a 2! Tim Bresnan to bowl the next over with HK 36 for 1. Munir Dar retires on 32 off 8 deliveries. Mark Fuzes to bat and clips the ball to square leg for 4 and then to fine leg for the same result. Fuzes picks up Bresnan for 6 over backward square leg and then for 4 in the same region. 2 overs remaining for HK and they are 61 for 1. Kabir Ali to bowl and Fuzes hits him straight and then backward of point for successive 4s. A 6 gives Mark Fuzes 33 off 8 deliveries and he retires. Irfan Ahmed is his replacement but is bowled, top of leg stump, off the second ball. Last over to be bowled by Darren Maddy with HK 79 for 2. Sharma gives himself room and pushes the ball to the cover fence. Nadeem Ahmed hits his first ball for 6 and Sharma is caught by Ali in the deep and Munir Dar returns for 1 ball and HK end up with 92 for 2.

Maddy and Loye to face Najeeb Amar and Maddy gets a leg bye to start the England innings and Loye is caught by Irfan at backward square leg on the rope. England 1 for 1. Easy run out missed by Sharma as he fumbles the return next to the stumps. England 1 for 8 after the first with Irfan to bowl from the Clubhouse end and straight driven for 4. 3 singles off 3 balls and out at deep mid off and Maddy’s tournament is over and Tim Bresnan comes in. The winner of this game takes home USD$24,000. Bresnan out first ball. England reeling at 15 for 3 off 2 overs. Dominic Cork hits a welcome 6 for England off Fuzes. Kabir Ali dropped by Dar at long off. A chance of a run out by umpire Walsh shakes his head. 2 overs remain with England needing 62. Dar to bowl and Cork takes a single. Ali gives himself room and slogs a 6 over mid on. A swing and a miss and Dar takes Cork’s off stump out of the ground. Gough to the crease, with England on 39 for 4. England now need 52 off the last over to be bowled by Nadeem Ahmed. England have made little3 impression on the required runs and finish their innings with the total at 45 for 5 as Ali is caught behind off the last ball with all the fielders around the bat. Great win for Hong Kong.

[Scorecard]

Match Twenty - India v. West Indies, 3rd/4th Play-off

The finals are 8 ball over matches. The Indian crowd come alive after taking a handful of anti-depressants following the dishing by Pakistan. India have won the toss and will field. Samuels and Baugh to open with Joshi to bowl. Samuels bowled and replaced by Sylvester Joseph. More urgency in the Indian play. A chance for Chopra but he can’t get there in time. At the end of the over WI are 1 for 12. Bangar to bowl. Big 6 over our heads by Baugh but he doesn’t get hold of the next one and he is caught on the boundary by Sodhi and in comes Crandon. At the end of the 2nd over WI are 33 for 2 with Sodhi to bowl the next. Joseph hits a big 6 to the hospitality tents over mid-wicket but the fluency of scoring is not as you might expect with 8 ball overs and finally Joseph is out for 28 caught at mid off with Sammy coming to the centre with Chopra to bowl the 2nd last over. Runs still coming in singles but now there is a 6 and 2 4s. Still the WI don’t seem to be doing enough and I am sure India will feel they can reach this target. 1 over remaining and WI are 3 for 72. Singh to bowl the last and the WI are swinging but the runs are regulation 4s not 6s. Sammy finds a 6 over extra cover with 3 balls remaining but he’s caught at cover by Sodhi. Deonarine to the middle. WI finish with a 4 and an innings score of 100.

Bangar and Sodhi to open for India. Samuels to bowl. India need 100 off 40 valid deliveries. India have started solidly with 20 off the 1st over. Joseph to bowl the next and a measured approach by Bangar who refuses (wisely) the second run by Sodhi. Excellent over this by Joseph. India subdued until Bangar launches a big 6 with India on 32 and 3 overs remaining. Deonarine to bowl and he goes for a 6 and successive 4s. Fantastic catch by Darren Sammy – running diving full length and Sodhi is back in the hutch. In comes the Indian captain Robin Singh. The ball is high and the bowler runs back to take it when he should have left it to mid-off charging in – fortunately no physical clash of player. India now 59 for 1 with 2 overs remaining and Crandon to bowl. India seem to have lifted the pace with successive 4s but the expected 6s aren’t happening. Bangar is forced to step to leg to give himself room and had his leg stump knocked back. Kanitkar to the centre. Drop in the deep. India keep rolling, working the ball around and have gone for an unnecessary 2nd and Singh is on his bike, replaced by Joshi. India are 85 for 3 with 5 balls remaining needing 9 runs and successive by Joshi 6s has almost given India victory needing 2 runs off 2 balls. He has juggled it and caught him but the umpire didn’t see it. Score tied with 1 ball to go. Big 6 to finish has put it out of doubt and quashed the controversy. US$36,000 to India in 3rd place and US$30,000 to WI.

[Scorecard]

Match Twenty-one - Pakistan v. South Africa, FINAL

Pakistan have won the toss and elected to field 1st. They have been batting so well I thought they may have tried to put the pressure on with a huge total.

Bodi and Morkel to bat with Afridi to bowl and they start with 2. Bodi, big outside edge and he’s out caught at deep gully on the rope. Tyrone Henderson comes to the wicket. Albie Morkel knows RSA need a big total and is working with 4s and 6s but he’s out caught by Nazir. After the first over RSA are 16 for 2. Latif to bowl to Boje with Henderson in support. RSA pushing 1s with occasional 6s and are 32 with 26 balls remaining. Latif bowling very well forces 2 defensive shots in a row. RSA will have to do more. The Pakistan crowd baying for blood. Nazir to bowl and he’s picked off for 4. Outside edge for 6 caught by David Bandy of the Australian contingent in the players area. Nazir not bowled as well this innings and has gone for 33 in his over and RSA are 65 with 2 overs remaining. Tahir Mughal to bowl. Boje has hit a 6 into the PLA accommodation 2nd floor balcony next door – absolutely massive hit. RSA are pushing now and have moved the score to 83 and Henderson retires with Tsolekile coming to the crease. One over to go and RSA are 84 for 2 with Yasir Arafat to bowl. Cover drive by Boje for 4 and he retires on 32. Imraan Khan comes to the crease with 7 deliveries remaining. Good bowling by Yasir, ‘right in the block hole’ as the Berger calls it. Last ball goes for 4 and RSA’s total is 103 for 3. I fear it is not enough but its competitive and ‘cricket’s still a funny old game, Ritchie”.

Arafat and Nazir to open against Morkel and the first ball is sharp and the next one is 6, followed by a wide. Front foot 6 over mid wicket. How good is Nazir? Can’t keep a regular place in the Pakistan team. Morkel messes up Arafat’s stumps and sends him on his way. Raza to the crease, left hand bat and he works the ball around sensibly. Caught Sabine in the crowd. At the end of the 1st over Pakistan are 1 for 27. Boje to bowl. Pakistan are doing it in 4s. Raza is brilliantly marked by Morkel on the boundary. What a catch said Abe Jones! Nazir slips and is run out and Pakistan are imploding again. The crowd is quiet and Latif comes to the middle. 3 overs to go and Pakistan are 32 for 3. Khan bowls and Latif is out caught Morkel in the deep and the final batsman for Pakistan is Afridi with it all to do. Afridi helps himself to a half volley, successive 6s. Swing and a miss. 2 overs to go with Pakistan needling 42 runs and no wickets remaining. Henderson to bowl. Pakistan fighting on. Afridi plays and misses outside off stump. Henderson bowling really well. Pakistan making no impression and bay 13 is very quiet – they know singles are not enough. 8 balls and 34 required and Gulam Bodi to bowl the last over of the Championship. He’s gone for 6 first ball. Mughal misses the next 2. He misses the next but it is called wide. It is all too much and they run a single with Afridi to face the last 2 balls needing 19. There is 6 of them over square leg. Last ball is a dot and RSA have won the final. Pakistan have provided the entertainment but RSA have won it with a fantastic, gutsy well deserved victory. It was the South African catching that lifted the team to another level and placed huge pressure on the Pakistanis who wilted. Pakistan finished with 91, just 12 runs short. What a days cricket. Pakistan peaked too soon and RSA timed their run to perfection bringing out the whip down the home straight to win it hands and heels from Pakistan.

I hope you have enjoyed this light hearted commentary of the 2006 HK Invitation 6s and from Captain Mainwaring, the Berger and myself it is goodbye until next year where we hope to bring you a ball by ball description of another thrilling Hong Kong 6s.

[Scorecard]

Provided by the Hong Kong Cricket Association. For further information, please contact Charles Lau or Novan Tang at (852) 2504-8101.

2006 Cathay Pacific / Standard Chartered Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes

*
 

© 2006 China Cricket International Limited. All rights reserved. All logos are the trademarks of their respective owners.