CHINA'S LONG MARCH BEGINS AT HONG KONG CRICKET SIXES
 Hong Kong, September 27, 2010 – China will make a historic appearance at the Karp Group & PC Jeweller (P) Ltd Hong Kong Cricket Sixes at the Kowloon Cricket Club on November 6-7.
The mainland’s Asian Games squad will appear in an exhibition match on the Sunday of the popular tournament, and will be watched by millions of fans during the live television broadcast worldwide.
“We are really excited at the opportunity of appearing at the Hong Kong Sixes,” said China’s Pakistan coach Rashid Khan. “This will be a huge experience for the guys and one which should help them as they prepare for the Asian Games in November.”
Khan, who has been at the helm of developing the mainland’s elite team for the past two years, is hopeful that China would one day be able to take full part in the Hong Kong Sixes.
“This time we are coming to play in an exhibition match but I hope that one day China can play at the Hong Kong Sixes. There are some boys in this team who are more than capable of playing this type of game,” Khan said.
Khan’s hopes of China playing at the Hong Kong Sixes was given a boost by Dinesh tandon, Hong Kong Cricket Association chairman, who said this was the first step in integrating the mainland into the annual tournament.
“I believe the day is not too far away when China will play at the Hong Kong Sixes. This is just the first step and we want to give them a flavour of playing in an international tournament,” Tandon said.
Tandon added: “Our long-term aim is to get China involved in the Hong Kong Sixes so that in this way, they will have a regular international tournament to look forward to every year. We will do our bit to help China develop as an international side.”
HKCA president Captain Shahzada Saleem Ahmed said: “ We are extremeley honoured to have China coming for the Sixes, especially as it comes just obne week before the Asian Games. Although they will not be playing in the main event, they will take part in many other activities to promote cricket to all walks of life in Hong Kong.”
Cricket is just starting to take root in the mainland. But Khan has stated that the biggest obstacle facing China is the lack of opportunities to play against foreign opposition.
“This visit will not only give us much-needed opposition, but the players can also learn from watching the international stars in action,” Khan added.
Eight teams will take part in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes. They are Australia, England, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand and Hong Kong. They will vie for total prize money of US$150,000.
China will come up against a Hong Kong Development team during the lunch break on the Sunday of the tournament. The squad will feature eight players who will be part of the team which will take part in the twenty20 competition at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.
“We will also arrange a Twenty20 match for China against a local team on the Friday before the Hong Kong Sixes,” Tandon said. “They will also take part in a number of clinics and training stints during their visit.”
The mainland squad is currently based in Guangzhou preparing for the Asian Games where cricket will make its debut.
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