Mascarenhas targets Sixes crown

Dimitri Mascarenhas will lead England in the Hong Kong Sixes competition next month

England captain Dimitri Mascarenhas is determined to lift the Hong Kong Sixes trophy next month.

Hampshire skipper Mascarenhas will lead a strong squad which includes four other internationals - Darren Maddy, Tim Bresnan, Ed Joyce and Jonathan Trott - plus exciting prospects Graham Napier and Graham Wagg.

Mascarenhas, who was close to a place in England’s squad for the Stanford Super Series and the one-day internationals in India, will draw on his previous experience of the Hong Kong competition.

England have won the Sixes on four occasions, with their last success coming in 2004.

“Having played in last year’s Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, I know it is a unique tournament with a fantastic festival atmosphere,” he said ahead of the competition at Kowloon Cricket Club on November 8-9.

“It is a lot of fun but at the same time very competitive and I’m looking forward to the challenge of leading England this year.

“The selectors have picked a strong squad and we will be going all out to lift the trophy.”

The tournament’s organisers are particularly excited about the presence of Napier who found fame this summer with his exploits in the Twenty20 Cup.

The explosive Essex batsman hammered an astonishing 152 not out – including a world record 16 sixes – in against Sussex at Chelmsford in June.

Batting at number three, he reached his century from 44 balls but was only just getting warmed up. His remaining 52 runs took just 14 deliveries, with 30 coming from the final over of the innings.

Napier's 16 sixes broke New Zealand's Brendon McCullum's record of 13 set during his 158 in the opening match of the Indian Premier League earlier this year.

Although Napier did not quite have enough time to beat McCullum's score, he comfortably passed Cameron White's 141 for Somerset which was the previous best in the Twenty20 Cup.

“Graham Napier is one of the most explosive hitters in world cricket and it is fantastic that Hong Kong fans will have the chance to watch him in action,” said Sixes tournament director Mark Burns.

Essex's Graham Napier blasted 16 sixes during his unbeaten 152 against Sussex

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“England have made a statement of intent by naming such a powerful squad and they will clearly be among the favourites for the trophy.”

England will be joined by defending champions Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, hosts Hong Kong and the crowd-pleasing All-Stars.

Test greats Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Justin Langer and Stephen Fleming have already been confirmed in the All-Stars squad.

West Indies batsman Chanderpaul is holder of both the International Cricket Council and Wisden Cricketer of the Year titles and also tops the current ICC batting rankings.

Former New Zealand captain Fleming holds the world record for the most one-day international appearances as captain, having led the Black Caps 218 times in his total of 280 games.

“We now have the world record holding sixes hitter, the current world player of the year and the world record holding one-day international captain confirmed, which highlights the quality of this year’s Sixes,” added Burns.

Sri Lanka beat the 2007 All-Stars by 16 runs in last year’s final – their maiden victory in 11 visits to the Sixes.

The draw for this year’s tournament will be held next Thursday October 9, when details of ticket sales will also be announced.

First held in 1992, the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes continues to be fully sanctioned by the ICC and is the sport's longest-running, best-established and most high-profile sixes tournament.

Players who have taken part over the past 16 years include Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Steve and Mark Waugh, Viv Richards, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram.

The tournament is organised and promoted by the Hong Kong Cricket Association’s commercial arm, China Cricket International Limited.

The HKCA’s proceeds from the Sixes will be ploughed directly back into cricket development in Hong Kong.