Hong Kong Sixes First Day Round-Up

Hong Kong Sixes First Day Round-Up

A view of the impressive backdrop to the Kowloon Cricket Ground.

©REUTERS/Action Images

There were wins for England, Scotland, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan and India on the opening day of the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes 2011 tournament held in Kowloon. Here is Cricket World’s round-up of the day’s matches.

Pool A: Sri Lanka 83-5 beat Scotland 53-3 by 30 runs

Kusal Perera hit the first ball of the tournament for six to get it off to a flying start, before promptly being caught by Calum MacLeod next ball to sum up the all-action attraction of the Sixes in a nutshell. Sri Lanka captain Chamara Kapugedera and Sachith Shanaka then added the bulk of the batting side’s runs during a second wicket partnership of 54, with Shanaka falling just before the end of the innings to Safyaan Sharif for a 12-ball 25, and Kapugedera ending unbeaten on 34 from 12. Scotland’s pursuit of 84 to win got off to a disastrous start as they lost opener Preston Mommsen first ball to the dangerous Shanaka. They never really recovered as the international duo of Thisara Perera and Kapugedera, along with Chathura Peiris, all conceded just single figures from their overs.

Pool B: Ireland 66-1 beat Bangladesh 65-4 by 5 wickets

Ireland are always one to watch in any international event and they proved it with a comfortable thrashing of Bangladesh in the second match of the day. Enamul Haque (21 from six balls) top-scored in the Bangladesh innings of 65 for four, but all of the Ireland bowlers – bar Paul Stirling who conceded 22 – were economical, with Max Sorenson the most impressive in ending with figures of one for six. The O’Brien brothers came to the fore in the Ireland reply, with Kevin ending unbeaten on 13 from five balls and elder brother Niall forced to retire on 35 from only nine balls.

Pool C: India 119-1 beat Hong Kong 117-1 by 5 wickets

India had the better of a run-laden third match as they prevailed off the last ball of their encounter against the hosts. Hong Kong made an imposing 117 for one after being asked to bat, with both openers, Munir Dar (34 from eight) and Babar Hayat (32 from eight), forced to retire. Captain Najeeb Amar (24 from nine) then added a late flurry off boundaries, with Vignesh Ganapathy and Raju Bhatkal conceding 31 and 29 runs respectively off their solitary overs. India lost ‘keeper Mayank Agarwal early on to Dar, but Ganapathy, Dinesh Kartik and Bhatkal all passed 30, with Manvinder Bisla and Shalabh Srivastava hitting the winning runs from the final ball.

Pool C: Pakistan 110-3 beat South Africa 87-2 by 23 runs

Sohail Tanvir hit six sixes as Pakistan overcame South Africa by 23 runs. Tanvir was forced to retire and was joined in the pavilion by wicket-keeper Sharjeel Khan who hit five maximums, with Richard Cameron, Aubrey Swanepoel and Lenert van Wyk the unlucky bowlers. Lyall Meyer and Dillon du Preez clawed things back slightly for the Proteas as Pakistan ended on 110 for three. Hammad Azam and Tanvir were the heroes with the ball for Pakistan as they went for 10 and seven runs respectively – van Wyk and Cameron both retiring having passed 30.

Pool B: England 83-2 beat Bangladesh 81-2 by 4 wickets

England condemned Bangladesh to a second defeat of the day with a penultimate ball triumph in a relatively low-scoring affair. Seam bowler Nazmul Hossain was the top-scorer for Bangladesh with a 13-ball 31, while England captain Rory Hamilton-Brown picked up two wickets with his off-spin. England struggled early on in reply, but Darren Stevens (35 from 10) and Chris Read (23 from six) took Shabbir Rahman for 24 off his over to ensure that the competition’s most successful side started off on the right track.

Pool A: Scotland 94-0 beat New Zealand 88-0 by 6 wickets

Scotland recorded their first win of the tournament in a curious match during which neither side lost a wicket. Kiwi openers James Franklin and Nathan McCullum both passed 30 from 11 balls, but Scotland openers Calum MacLeod and Preston Mommsen did so more quickly leaving time for Saltires captain Richie Berrington to blast a decisive five-ball 26 and lead his side to victory with seven balls to spare.

Pool B: Australia 105-2 beat Ireland 78-1 by 27 runs

Defending champions Australia trounced Ireland in the final match of the day as openers Rhett Lockyear and Craig Philipson both retired. Ireland pulled things back slightly dismissing Jason Floros and Scott Coyte for ducks but they still passed the 100 mark. Paul Stirling was the bright point in a disappointing Irish batting performance, but Coyte, Floros and Ben Laughlin all went for less than 10 from their overs to hand the reigning champions a 27-run win.

Twenty20 Match: Woodworm All Stars 372-7 beat Rest of the World 368-6 by 2 wickets

Lou Vincent’s century outdid one from Darren Stevens as the Woodworm All Stars defeated a Rest of the World side by two wickets in the friendly T20 match. All Stars captain Sanath Jayasuriya and Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi both contributed half-centuries to their sides run chase as 35 sixes were hit during the innings. Earlier Dinesh Kartik and Calum MacLeod had hit half-centuries of their own for the Rest of the World to go with Stevens’ century, but it was not to be enough as Ryan ten Doeschate ended with an impressive haul of two for 31 from three overs.

Click here for tomorrow’s fixtures and today’s scorecards.

© Cricket World 2011