The Hong Kong Sixes came down to the last ball of the final, with South Africa edging Pakistan in a thrilling final at Kowloon Cricket Club.
Captain Aubrey Swanepoel won it for his team by hitting the very last ball for a four in the closest and most competitive game over the tournament weekend. The South African squad made the final after defeating New Zealand Kiwis by 18 runs.
This win is South Africa’s fifth victory in 18 editions of the tournament, having held aloft the trophy in 1995, 2006, 2009, 2012, the last time Hong Kong World Sixes was held. It joins England and Pakistan as a five-time winner of this popular event.
Ecstatic with the team’s performance this week, 28-year-old Swanepoel said: “As a cricketer growing up, this is what you dream of, in a tournament like this, to hit the winning run. I have the best team possible here with me, and if it wasn’t for my team, I wouldn’t have been in that situation.”
“Cricket in Hong Kong is growing, it has a bright future. People in Hong Kong want to see all the best teams come to play in this tournament. This event is only get better, and hopefully more teams will get involved. We have a young team, and we are looking forward to hopefully come back next year.” added Swanepoel.
Hong Kong, led by Babar Hayat, gave home fans plenty of cheer about after an inspiring run to win the Plate competition. Following Saturday’s round robin effort of one win and two losses, which put the team into the plate tournament, the local squad came through against the Marylebone Cricket Club with a five-run victory in the final. Nizakat Khan also took out the Ben Hollioake award for the player of the tournament.
Hayat, who narrowly missed out on winning player of the tournament in the 2012 event, commented: “Yesterday didn’t quite go according to plan but in the third game yesterday and today, we were outstanding with the ball and the bat, which was pleasing, and that was why we were able to win the Plate. We hadn’t play sixes for a very long time so it was always going to be tough but once you get going, you can always get some momentum going, which helped. It is a pleasing thing to play in front of a home crowd, with people cheering for you, supporting you. I hope we can play the sixes every year.”
Cricket Hong Kong Director Jonathan Cummings commented: “The two days of the tournament have been amazing. We couldn’t have wished for it to go any better, the weather, the cricket, the fans, and to have the result of the last ball is what makes sixes cricket so exciting. Getting South Africa and Pakistan in the final was great as we knew we would have a humdinger of a final, and to see Hong Kong winning the Plate Championship is fantastic. The event will 100% be back next year. Getting the event back was the first step. The crowds have loved it, the teams have loved it, and the tournament will be back even bigger next time.