PRESS RELEASE
Veteran Najeeb returns for final fling at KARP Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011
[Hong Kong, October 04, 2011]: Najeeb Amar will return from international retirement to lead Hong Kong at the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes at the Kowloon Cricket Club on October 28-30.
Left-arm spinner Najeeb stepped down as captain soon after Hong Kong had successfully finished in the top four at the ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Dubai earlier this year.
But the lure of the Sixes, where he has been a star turn, has persuaded Najeeb to return and he will lead a strong local outfit who will be seeking to repeat their heroics of 2009 when they shocked the big guns to storm into the Cup final before bowing out to South Africa.
“We have a very strong side with a good mix of experienced hands as well as new faces. I think we will go very well this time,’ said Hong Kong national coach Charlie Burke.
Apart from Najeeb, the spin department will include veteran Munir Dar and Peter Wooden while Tanvir Afzaal and newcomer Haseeb Amjad will provide the medium-pace. Nizakat Khan, one of the outstanding players for Hong Kong in recent months and teenage debutant Babar Hayat will make up the rest of the team.
“Babar Hayat is just 18 and has only recently qualified to play for Hong Kong internationally. He is a big striker of the ball and I’m sure he will do very well as will Haseeb who is a fine all-rounder,” Burke said.
Hayat will also take over the wicket-keeping duties ruling out Hussain Butt from the equation.
Hong Kong has frequently troubled all the big teams in this tournament and Burke will be hoping for more of the same as Najeeb and his men go in hunt of a big scalp or two.
“I believe we have the players who can upset any of the bigger sides on the day,” said captain Shahzada Saleem, president of the Hong Kong Cricket Association.
Hong Kong is grouped with last year’s finalists Pakistan, South Africa and India in the preliminary round of the 12-team tournament, which will be played over three days for the first time in the history of the competition.
Also for the first time, an international Twenty20 (T20) match will be played on the Friday, when the All Stars take on a combined world outfit comprising of players from each of the other countries.
Hong Kong Squad: Najeeb Amar (captain), Tanvir Afzaal, Munir Dar, Nizakat Khan, Babar Hayat, Haseeb Amjad, Peter Wooden.
About the Karp Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011
Organized by the Hong Kong Cricket Association since 1992, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes is the only international cricket event held in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Sixes is fully sanctioned by the world's governing body for cricket, the International Cricket Council, and title sponsored by Karp Group. An recognised "M" Mark event by the Major Sports Events Committee since 2007, the Hong Kong Sixes is being supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Commission's Mega Events Fund for the first time in 2011. The Mega Events Fund was set up in 2009 to support mega arts, cultural and sports events to be staged in Hong Kong.
With the support of the Hong Kong Tourism Commission’s Mega Events Fund for the first time in 2011, this year’s Karp Group Cricket Sixes 2011 is set to be the biggest and best clash in the 19-year history of the Tournament. The Hong Kong Sixes has also been recognised an official “M" Mark event by the Major Sports Events Committee since 2007.
Tickets can be purchased from the Hong Kong Ticketing website at www.hkticketing.com, the Hong Kong Cricket Association office in Olympic House, Kowloon Cricket Club, Hong Kong Cricket Club and at Jashan and DotCod restaurants in Central.
The tournament has been broadcast live since 2008 and in 2010 reached over 80 million households on the Indian subcontinent, across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and South Africa, as well as being packaged for distribution in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe and China.
About the Mega Events Fund
The Mega Events Fund was set up in 2009 to support mega arts, cultural and sports events to be staged in Hong Kong. |
