Sixers set to sign Hong Kong international

Sydney Sixers are poised to break new ground by signing Hong Kong cricketer Li Kai Ming as a Community Rookie for the upcoming KFC Big Bash League season.

Ming is a leg-break bowler and right-handed batsman who has represented his country twice in Global T20 Qualifiers. He took 4-14 from four overs in Hong Kong's win over China on Sunday.

While the 24-year-old is expected to sign as a Community Rookie, meaning he is unlikely to play a match, it's nonetheless an exciting development for the growth of cricket in Asia. 

"Ï believe he's the first Chinese player to play, certainly in the Big Bash and possibly any major franchise league in the world," Charlie Burke, national director of cricket in Hong Kong, told Crocmedia.

"So the Sydney Sixers have been great with that and have shown they are willing to develop the game as well.

"Particularly to go in to non-traditional cricket backgrounds I think is a part of it, in that they are trying to get players from non-associate nations into major franchise competitions around the world."

The Sixers are hoping to finalise the details of the deal in the coming weeks.

Burke is currently coaching at the East Asia T20 Competition involving teams from all over the region and he spoke positively about the growth of the game throughout Asia. 

"We’ve actually had two if not three Japanese players being hosted by Prahran in Victoria on and off over the last few seasons.

"The cricket education is probably the hardest thing to coach at a development level.

"The skills are one thing but the education is another and these experiences have been really valuable."

Burke would also be keen to bring high profile matches to Hong Kong and feels they are capable of putting on a good show. 

"We’ve spoken to a couple of IPL teams about potentially playing some games here," he said.

"We've got a 15,000-seat custom built cricket ground in Guanghzou which could host any of that sort of cricket brilliantly."