Hong Kong Cricket Sixes back after seven years

The Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes, which captivated cricket fans from 1992 to 2017, is returning this November triumphantly after a seven-year gap. Hong Kong’s cricketing heritage dates back to 1842, when the first official game was played.

Cricket Hong Kong (CHK), an International Cricket Council (ICC) member, organizes the tournament. The event, scheduled from 1st to 3rd November 2024, will be held at Tin Kung Road Cricket Ground. Twelve countries will compete over three days.

Rules for the event:

Games are played between two teams of six players. Each game has a maximum of five six-ball overs for each team (eight-ball overs in the final match).

Each player on the fielding team, except the wicketkeeper, bowls one over. Wides and no-balls give two runs. If a team loses five wickets before finishing their five overs, the last batsman keeps batting, with the fifth batsman acting as a runner and always taking the strike. The innings ends when the sixth wicket falls.

Batsmen must retire when they reach 31 runs. A retired batter can return to bat after the lower-order batters are out or retire. A tournament point system gives two points for each match won.

The Hong Kong Sixes was put on hold in 2019 – and potentially cancelled forever – as Cricket Hong Kong (CHK) struggled to attract investors and considered shifting operations towards hosting tournaments that generate rankings for T20Is and ODIs.

Pakistan, England and South Africa are the most successful teams in this format, with five titles each.

Last time, in 2017, South Africa won the title, defeating Pakistan in the final.