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We are pleased to announce that the Hong Kong Sixes cricket tournament will be available free on Willow's YouTube channel on October 29-30!
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The annual tournament played at the Kowloon Cricket Club has expanded from eight to twelve teams and across three days for the first time in the history of the tournament. Included in the expanded team field is the Woodworm All Stars with a heavy-hitting side featuring Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka), Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa), RP Singh (India), Piyush Chawla (India), Lou Vincent (New Zealand) and Ryan Ten Doeschate (Netherlands).
Dinesh Karthik, skipper of the Indian team playing in the Hong Kong Sixes, has thrown his weight behind the first-ever international Twenty20 match in Hong Kong saying it will be a great attraction for the spectators.
Karthik, who plays in the Indian Premier League for Kings XI Punjab, will lead India at the Karp Group Hong Kong Sixes which gets underway at the Kowloon Cricket Club today. He has also agreed to play for the Rest of the World team against the Woodworm All Stars in the inaugural Twenty20 fixture which will be the final game on an exciting opening card.
"Adding a T20 to the Hong Kong Sixes is a great inclusion. Twenty20 is obviously a very popular format with IPL being so big worldwide. It will give a different point of view for the crowd and I think it will be great for the spectators. For the players it will be a fun way to start the tournament," said Karthik.
Karthik will come up against former teammates Piyush Chawla and RP Singh in a number of intriguing personal encounters. The other big one of note will be the clash between All Star Shahid Afridi and Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq who will lead the Rest of the World team.
Another match-up of former test teammates will see All Stars' batsman Lou Vincent coming face to face with New Zealand pair Jacob Oram and James Franklin.
Defending champions Australia will begin their campaign by taking on debutants Ireland who will feature the big-hitting Kevin O'Brien. Hosts Hong Kong will start by taking on India.
India is pooled with Pakistan, South Africa and home team Hong Kong in the preliminary round of the Sixes.
The other preliminary round pools will see Australia fight it out with England, Ireland and Bangladesh while the All Stars are grouped with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Scotland.