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Sri Lanka & South
Africa in Hunt for KARP Group Hong Kong Sixes Title
The Netherlands out to play spoiler’s role in Pool B
[Hong Kong, October 22
2012]: Sri
Lanka’s Chamara Kapugedara will get his chance to get back into the limelight
and remind his country’s selectors of his worth as an attacking batsmen when he
returns with a strong Sri Lankan lineup for the KARP Group Hong Kong Sixes at
the Kowloon Cricket Club this weekend.
Kapugedara,
who has represented Sri Lanka in all forms of the game, was overlooked by the
selectors for the recent ICC World Twenty20 where the islanders reached the
final before losing to the West Indies.
That
inexplicable defeat, chasing only 138 runs for victory, will offer Kapugedara,
a dashing right–hand batsman the opportunity to get back into the national side
and a huge performance in Hong Kong will help his chances.
Kapugedara,
25, was once regarded as Sri Lanka’s most-promising young batsman. He has
played eight Tests (scoring 418 runs) and 92 One-Day Internationals (1,521
runs) as well as 21 Twenty20 internationals where he has an impressive strike
rate of 115.23.
But
the inability to press on and make a sizeable contribution in recent times has
resulted in him being axed from the national set-up.
The
Hong Kong Sixes will give Kapugedara the opportunity to get back into the focus
of the Sri Lankan selectors with the islanders likely to be in strong
contention for the Cup competition.
Sri
Lanka will be led by Jehan Mubarak, who was also captain of the team at the
2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou when cricket made its debut. The rest of the squad comprises promising
young cricketers Chamith Kulasekara, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Kusal
Matharage Don, Sachith Pathirana and Ramith Rambukwella.
Sri
Lanka has performed consistently at the Hong Kong Sixes but has only won the
Cup on one occasion, in 2007 when they defeated a Shane Warne-led All Stars
outfit that also included Brian Lara.
South
Africa has achieved greater success at the Sixes, winning the event in 2006 and
2009, which would suggest that 2012 may be their year once again.
With
players of the calibre of captain Colin Ingram, Dillon Du Preez and Rory
Kleinveldt – all big-hitting batsmen – it all points to South Africa once again
being a force to reckon with.
But
the real danger could come from fast bowler Wayne Parnell, a member of the
South Africa squad at the recent ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Parnell,
23, is an impressive left-arm seam bowler who has played three Tests and 27
One-Day Internationals for his country. A naturally gifted all-rounder, Parnell
has also played a couple of seasons in the IPL.
In
2009, he became the youngest player to be awarded a central contract by Cricket
South Africa and has lived up to that promise with several useful performances,
especially in the shortened form of the game.
Parnell
will be joined by Lyall Meyer, David Miller and Khayelihle Zondo in a squad
that can go all the way, and will be relying on Du Preez and Meyer to provide
the experience, both having played in this event last year.
It
will be mostly a first-time experience for most of the men in Orange – the
Netherlands.
Peter
Drinnen will lead the top associate member country and he can rely on the experienced
Peter Borren and Pieter Seelaar for a helping hand as the Dutch bid to make a
lasting impression.
Wesley
Barresi, Michael Swart, Alexei Kervezee, Mudassar Burkari and Stephanus Myburgh
make up the rest of an extended squad. All of them are regulars in the national
team that plays in the ICC Division One competition alongside the likes of
Ireland and Afghanistan.
The
Dutch will be up against it though, being placed in a tough draw alongside
defending champions Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka in Pool B.
All
three teams from the sub-continent will be clear-cut favourites to enter the
Cup semi-final stages and will be looking at the game against the Dutch as the
one where they can raise their net run-rates.
And
with players like Kapugedara amongst the opposition,
looking forward to rehabilitating himself in the senior Sri Lankan team, one
can expect no favours this weekend. Everyone
will be hoping to go Dutch.
Sri Lanka Squad: Jehan Mubarak (Captain); Chamara Kapugedara; Chamith Kulasekara;
Kaushal Lokuarachchi; Kusal Matharage Don; Sachith Pathirana; Ramith
Rambukwella; Channa Weerakkody (Manager).
South Africa Squad: Colin Ingram (Captain); Dillon Du Preez; Rory Kleinveldt;
Lyall Meyer; David Miller; Wayne Parnell; Khayelihle Zondo; Vincent Barnes
(Manager).
Netherlands Squad: Peter Drinnen (Captain); Peter
Borren; Pieter Seelaar; Stephanus Myburgh; Mudassar Burkari; Alexei Kervezee;
Michael Swart; Wesley Barresi; Ed Van Neirop (Manager).
Ticketing
Details:
Public stand tickets for Hong Kong crickets’ annual
showpiece are still available for the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes, however, with
capacity set at 2,000 this year, the event is expected to sell out before the
event. Ticket packages are as follows:
Weekend
Package - HK$800 (adults), HK$380
(children)
Saturday
only - HK$310 (adults), HK$180 (children)
Sunday
only - HK$550 (adults),
HK$220 (children)
Tickets
are available through HK Ticketing (www.hkticketing.com) and from the following
outlets - HKCA, HKCC, KCC, and Dot Cod Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar.
Hospitality
Packages:
The Hong
Kong Sixes Champagne Garden and VIP Gold Pass tickets are also still
available. Prices range from $3,000 per
day to $5,500 for the weekend.
For more
information, please contact chingwa@hkcricket.org
About the KARP
Group Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2012
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 Cricket Sixes is fully sanctioned by the world’s governing
body for cricket, the International Cricket Council, and title sponsored by
KARP Group.
The tournament has been broadcast live since 2008 and in 2011
reached over 115 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.
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