This file photo taken on March 24, 2016 shows Pakistan’s captain Shahid Afridi batting during a training session at the Punjab Cricket Stadium Association Stadium in Mohali.
A 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. PHOTO /AFP
What you need to know:
Hong Kong’s T20 Blitz is approaching only its second edition but already it is attracting a number of well-known players, including Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and hard-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
Hong Kong. A 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.
Hong Kong’s T20 Blitz is approaching only its second edition but already it is attracting a number of well-known players, including Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq and hard-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi.
The densely populated city has also been proposed as a possible venue for Australia’s successful 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.
But the former British colony could now make itself a centre in East Asia for Twenty20 cricket, which has already spawned the popular Big Bash, Indian Premier League and similar competitions elsewhere.
Tim Cutler, Cricket Hong Kong’s 34-year-old CEO, 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 told AFP.
“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?’”
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke came out of retirement to be the sole star player at last year’s inaugural T20 Blitz, but he seems to have blazed a trail for Misbah, Afridi and others. (AFP)
