Hyderabad: India are placed in the Pool C with their arch-rivals Pakistan as the fixtures of the Hong Kong Sixes tournament have been announced. The highly anticipated clash between the two sides will be held on Friday, November 1. Apart from India and Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also a part of the group.
Pool A consists of South Africa, New Zealand and hosts Hong Kong while Pool B has Australia, England and Nepal. The Pool D comprises Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Oman.
The tournament will see 12 matches taking place in the group stage, followed by six Bowl Matches and the quarterfinals. The four matches in the semi-finals (plate and mains) will be staged on November 3 followed by the Bowl Final, Plate Final and Cup Final.
Cricket Hong Kong recently announced India's participation in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes via a post, stating, "Team India is gearing up to smash it out of the park at HK6! Prepare for explosive power hitting and a storm of sixes that will electrify the crowd! Expect More Teams, More Sixes, More Excitement, and Maximum thrills!"
The tournament, renowned for its six-a-side format and high scoring games, is making a much-anticipated return after a seven-year hiatus, adding to the excitement surrounding this edition. The last edition was played in 2017 which was won by South Africa.
Pakistan have already named a six-man squad for the tournament as all-rounder Faheem Ashraf will lead the side. Senior batter Asif Ali and left-handed batter Hussain Talat are also part of the squad. Apart from them, Danish Aziz, Muhammad Akhlaq (wk) and Shahab Khan have also been given a chance to showcase their prowess. Former Test wicketkeeper-batter Saleem Yousuf has been named as the manager for the tournament.
