Cricket icons head to HK for T20 Blitz

Some greats of the modern game will descend on the tiny Asian territory of Hong Kong in the coming days for the second edition of the Hong Kong Blitz T20 tournament.

Cricketing legends Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shahid Afridi and Misbah Ul-Haq are just some of the big names who will play in the five-team event, which will run from March 8 to 12.

While the big-name veterans headline the tournament, younger stars like Samuel Badree, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Darren Sammy, Ian Bell and Johan Botha have also signed on.

And West Indian legend Brian Lara will be in Hong Kong in his role as a mentor for the Galaxy Gladiators Lantau franchise.

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke came out of retirement to be the sole star player at last year's inaugural T20 Blitz, and he seems to have blazed a trail for other big names to follow.

"To have that talent playing alongside local players, you can't buy that kind of experience," Cricket Hong Kong's CEO Tim Cutler told AFP last month.

"We're the only associate (second-tier ICC member) to launch a franchise-based T20. There are lots of envious cricket federations around the world."

The event will be held over five days at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground, which has a capacity of 3500 people.

The burgeoning Twenty20 tournament and growing interest from abroad is turning Hong Kong into one of Asia's fastest-rising cricketing destinations - and could help the sport make inroads into mainland China.

The densely populated city has also been proposed as a possible venue for some matches in KFC Big Bash League, which boasts bumper crowds and TV ratings.

It is a surprising scenario for Hong Kong, given that it has few cricket grounds, only 795 registered senior male players and scant interest in the sport among its ethnic Chinese majority population.

Cutler takes inspiration from rugby's Hong Kong Sevens, whose success helped the sport return to the Olympics last year.

"Look at the Hong Kong Sevens," Cutler said.

"Hong Kong is not known for its sporting prowess but it can run international events. It's an easy place to get things done. Outside, people are thinking, 'How can we be part of that?'"

Despite their lack of resources, Hong Kong have cricketing pedigree, after rising as high as 10th in the T20 rankings and beating Bangladesh in Chittagong at the 2014 ICC World T20.

The big prize for Hong Kong, and the International Cricket Council, lies in mainland China, whose only cricket ground sits not far across the border in the sprawling city of Guangzhou.

The ICC describes the Asian giant as a "strategic priority" and says it is working with the China Cricket Association on ways to "achieve sustainable growth in one of the most complex and competitive sports markets in the world".

Cutler said: "If China were to take up cricket, if it picked up by just one percent, you're talking about a potentially huge market.

"The T20 gives us the potential of growing our audience in China and beyond, expanding into China and acting as a go-between."

HONG KONG T20 BLITZ SQUADS

Galaxy Gladiators Lantau

Mentor: Brian Lara

Overseas players: Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Jesse Ryder (NZ), Sohail Tanvir (Pak), Seekkuge Prasanna (SL), Assad Vala (PNG)

Domestic players: Anshuman Rath, Mohammad Awais, Mo Khan, Haseeb Amjad, Daniyal Bukhari, Courtney Kruger, Karandeep Singh, Arshad Haroon Mohammad, Ishaq Ibraheem Muhammad, Jason Lui, Sourav Kumar

HKI United

Overseas players: Misbah Ul-Haq (Pak), Ian Bell (Eng), Samuel Badree (WI), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), George Munsey (Sco)

Domestic players: Jamie Atkinson, Tanwir Afzaal, Ehsan Khan, Daniel Pascoe, Kyle Christie, Moner Dar, Muhammad Balal, Devang Bulsara, Rory Caines, Ady Lee, Anas Khan

City Kaitak

Overseas players: Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Kyle Coetzer (Sco), Nicholas Pooran (WI), Rayad Emrit (WI), Chris Jordan (Eng)

Domestic players: Aizaz Khan (c), Nadeem Ahmed, Gareth Harte, Ryan Buckley, Waqas Barkat, Raag Kapur, Akbar Khan, Niaz Ali, Ankur Sharma, Sheryar Saeed, Siegfried Wai.

Kowloon Cantons

Overseas players: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Dwayne Smith (WI), Calum MacLeod (Sco), Tymal Mills (Eng)

Domestic players: Babar Hayat (c), Tanveer Ahmed, Shahid Wasif, Waqas Khan, Giacomo Lamplough, Ehsan Nawaz, Ahsan Abassi, Li Kai Ming, Muddasar Hussain, Angus Robson and Sunny Bhimsaria

Hung Hom JD Jaguars

Overseas players: Darren Sammy (WI), Mohammad Hafeez (Pak), Mohammad Naveed (UAE), James Franklin (NZ), Johan Botha (Aus)

Domestic players: Kinchit Shah (c), Nizakat Shah (vc), Ninad Shah, Chris Carter, Imran Arif, Simandeep Singh, Jangzeb Khan, Ashley Caddy, Skhawat Ali, Vishal Sharma