The Hong Kong Sixes is hoped to expand around the world (Photo by Power Sport Images/Getty Images)
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Forget the frenetic first Ashes Test, which lasted just two days in an anti-climax, if free-wheeling cricket is your thing than the much lampooned ‘Bazball’ is a mere parody of the shenanigans at the Hong Kong Sixes.
Which at least guaranteed three days of entertainment. Much to the delight of those having a rollicking good time at the historic Kowloon Cricket Club, a much-treasured remnant of the British.
The latest edition of the revamped Hong Kong Sixes – a truncated variant of cricket that was first played in 1992 but came back to life last year – was played earlier this month.
Pakistan emerged triumphant in a tournament that again captivated fans in the terraces and those watching on television worldwide.
“There was massive global reach through social media and we’re well on a path to making this a significant tournament. Not just in Hong Kong but also internationally,” Anurag Bhatnagar, a senior administrator of Cricket Hong Kong, told me.
While Twenty20 and T10 leagues have sprouted, and Bazball for some totally devoted followers who believe England’s reckless style has resuscitated Test cricket, the 55-minute Sixes game consisting of six overs each provides something novel.
And it’s also intrinsically linked to Hong Kong, the glitzy East Asia locale where cricket has roots due to once being a colony of the British Empire but where it is widely deemed a minor sport.
The Sixes’ gravitas is evident through it receiving special ‘M’ status from the city’s Major Sports Events Committee, injecting vital funds.
But amid such a congested and competitive cricket calendar, the Sixes’ organizers are thinking beyond just providing a sugar hit in Hong Kong and entertaining giddy cricket-starved expats.
The tournament has grown to include Associates, smaller cricket nations who receive less funding, playing opportunities and power than the 12 Full Members. This latest 12-team edition featured Hong Kong, UAE, Nepal, Kuwait and Nepal.
Hong Kong is an Associates nation (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
There are plans for the Sixes to expand into other Associates nations, in a bid to not only strengthen the truncated game’s brand but also provide rare development opportunities for these countries.
In addition to the Hong Kong staple, the Sixes might also be played in the Middle East next year as it builds an overseas brand.
“We’re planning to see if there’s a possibility of making it into a global series. So taking the event to more places instead of adding more teams,” Bhatnagar said.
“We are considering taking it to the Middle East next year as a part of our development strategy. We haven’t decided which one. We want to take it to more Associate countries, the smaller ones, so they get more exposure to the big cricket countries.
“It’s not an all out commercial venture. It is with a view to develop cricket.”
The Sixes has provided much entertainment for fans over the years (Photo by Felix Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images)
South China Morning Post via Getty Images
The dream one day is for something like a grand slam of Sixes events played all over the world. “The grand plan would include other stops such as in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and perhaps in Southeast Asia,” Bhatnagar said.
“We’ve broached this subject at Associate Member and ICC conferences, speaking privately to a few of the boards to just gauge the level of interest. And there has been interest.”
This hybrid form of cricket is quickly shifting away from being considered just a lark, a cavalier game set to transport beyond Kowloon in another important step for the sport to emerge in new footholds.