Reports from the first day of the Hong Kong Sixes

Charlie Austin in Hong Kong01-Nov-2003Hong Kong 64 for 3 (Sharma 29*) v New Zealand 67 for 1 (Sinclair 33*)
Scorecard
Dermot Reeve’s return for the Hong Kong side, two decades after his last match for his home city, with a waistline to match his 40 years, failed to inspire the hosts to an opening win, a victory they desperately needed to achieve their ambition of securing a place in the cup stages for the first time. Their batting failed to click, with Reeve struggling at No. 3, meaning New Zealand required just 65 for victory. Matthew Sinclair made short work of the target, bulldozing 33 from just eight balls.Sri Lanka 109 for (Indika de Saram 34*) v Kenya 97 for 1 (K Otieno 33*, Odumbe 35)
Scorecard
Sri Lanka were considered outsiders coming into the tournament. But at the end of the first game it was clear that they could spring a surprise. Indika de Saram smacked the first three balls of the match for six, clumping 30 from the opening over bowled by Collins Obuya, before retiring after a whirlwind 34 from only seven balls. Kenya’s slow bowlers were flogged for 109 – one run away from a tournament record. But Kenya still made a good fist of the chase, with Kennedy Otieno (33) and Maurice Odumbe (35) both scoring freely, before a tight final over left them 12 runs short.India 82 for 2 (Kanitkar 35*, Kambli 28*) v Hong Kong 45 for 3
Scorecard
India’s first game for the tournament was an easy win against the hosts, who dropped Dermot Reeve. Nevertheless, the batting was far from impressive. Reetinder Sodhi (5) fell cheaply and Vinod Kambli (28) dawdled during the early part of the innings. Hrishikesh Kanitkar provided some impetus with 35 from 10 balls. But Hong Kong were never in the hunt after tight opening overs from Nikhil Chopra and Rohan Gavaskar.South Africa 64 for 4 (Bosman 37*) v Sri Lanka 65 for 0 (Indika de Saram 31, Saman Jayantha 29*)
Scorecard
Sri Lanka’s odds shortened further with a surprise win against South Africa, thesecond seeds after Pakistan. This time it was their bowlers who starred,restricting South Africa to 60 for 4 – a below-par score in this form of the game. Loots Bosman prevented a rout with a powerful 37. Sri Lanka then waltzed to victory within three overs. Once again Indika de Saram produced some fireworks, cracking 35 before having to retire. Justin Ontong had a nightmare, conceding 35 from his over.Pakistan 78 all out (Naveed Latif 22, Azhar Mahmood 26*) v New Zealand 79 for 0 (Horne 34)
Scorecard
Pakistan, the tournament favourites after victories in 2001 and 2002, flopped intheir opening game against New Zealand. Their five-wicket defeat now meant that they needed to perform against arch rivals India in the afternoon. Andre Adams was the hero for New Zealand, completing a remarkable double-wicket maiden in the first over as Imran Nazir and Moin Khan miscued wild slogs. They did mount a recovery though – Naved Latif (22) steadied the innings and Azhar Mahmood (26 not out) tucked into an over from Tama Canning that cost 26 runs. But New Zealand cruised home, their task made easier by Pakistan’s sloppy fielding. Matt Horne scored a solid 34 from 13 balls, an innings full of neat deflections.England 82 for 4 (Brown 43, Dross 3-5) v South Africa 83 for 2 (Ontong 35*)
Scorecard
England, watched by David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, suffered adisastrous collapse in their first match, losing four wickets for 11 runs. Gerald Dross, a giant of a man, was the chief destroyer, taking 3 wickets in the space of four balls. Fortunately for England, Dougie Brown, their last man, biffed 43 from nine balls, including five fours in the last over – the highest score so far in the tournament. Justin Ontong launched a spectacular South African reply, hammering 35 from nine balls. Glen Chapple’s over cost an embarrassing 33. Chris Silverwood steamed in for the penultimate over, conceding just 3 runs, but Darren Maddy’s medium pace provided less problems in the final over.India 89 for 2 (Sodhi 31, Kambli 31, Chopra 26*) v New Zealand 94 for 2(Sinclair 33*, Horne 29, Sodhi 2-14)
Scorecard
New Zealand topped Pool 1 with their third win of the day against India – a tight match that leaves India facing a do-or-die clash against Pakistan. India had started well enough, as Reetinder Sodhi (31 not out) and Vinod Kambli (31 not out) blasted seven sixes in the early overs, but then faltered mid-innings as both Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Rohan Gavaskar were dismissed for ducks. They reached a competitive 89 for 2 thanks to Nikhil Chopra who stroked 26 from eight balls. But New Zealand, despite a slight wobble in the penultimate over when Sodhi claimed two wickets, powered home. Needing 10 to win from the final over bowled by Gavaskar, the weakest of the Indian bowlers, they won with three balls to spare. Matthew Sinclair, dropped in the first over, top scored with 33 from nine balls.South Africa 85 for 2 (Bosman 29*, Dros 35*) v Kenya 77 for 0 (K Otieno36*, Odumbe 31*, Hall 1-4)
Scorecard
South Africa put one foot into the semi-finals with a eight-run victory against Kenya. If England lose either of their remaining games then South Africa will qualify. Kenya, who brought a full-strength squad for their first trip to Hong Kong, will now play in the plate. South Africa, asked to bat first, recovered well from a slow start – 19 runs from the first two overs – to post a decent 85 for 2. Loots Bosman (29*) was once again powerful, hitting three sixes, while Gerald Dros continued his fine start to the tournament with 35 from 12 balls. Kenya started well, crashing 17 from the opening over, before Andrew Hall, moments after a painful collision with the boundary fence, stalled the innings with a miserly over in which he conceded just four singles. Kenya, despite not losing a single wicket, never recovered sufficient momentum and were left needing an improbable 28 from the final over.India 58 for 4 (Sodhi 22, Nazir 1-2, Razzaq 2-6) v Pakistan 60for 2 (Mahmood 32*)
Scorecard
The much-awaited heavyweight clash between India and Pakistan failed to live up to all the hype. But the one-sided nature of the contest mattered little for thelarge group of flag-waving, whistle-blowing, zinzabad-shouting Pakistanisupporters. India’s smaller contingent of fans burst briefly into song, asBahutale struck twice in three balls in the third over of Pakistan’s chase, butAbdul Razzaq (12*) and Azhar quickly ended any doubts over the result with aflurry of boundaries. Pakistan won with nine balls to spare – a countrymile in six-a-side terms. India’s problem was their batting. Vinod Kambli (10) and Ritender Sodhi (22) added 39 for the first wicket before India crumbled, losing four wickets for 13 runs. Only eight runs were scored from the final two overs bowled by Imran Nazir and Razzaq. Pakistan, the top seeds, now only need to knock over the hosts on Sunday morning to confirm their place in the cup competition.
Scorecard
Darren Maddy held his nerve with the ball to keep English hopes alive in the final match of the day. Maddy conceded only six singles in the last over as Kenya, who needed 14, made a meal out of chasing a modest 72. England’s seven-run victory means they still have a chance of qualifying for the cup stages if they can beat Sri Lanka tomorrow morning. Asked to bat first by the Kenyans, England hobbled to 71 for 3. Robert Croft top-scored with 19 and Dougie Brown struck 18 from 5 balls. The total looked too small but Kenya lost their way in the last two overs after Croft grabbed the wicket of Kennedy Otieno. Steve Tikolo and Maurice Odumbe, needing 25 from the last 12 balls, struggled against the slippery pace of Chris Silverwood – the quickest bowler on show today – and the nagging medium pace of Maddy.