Sixes tournament looks to put Myanmar cricket on the map

Sixes tournament looks to put Myanmar cricket on the map

By Matt Roebuck   |   Sunday, 06 April 2014

 

As Myanmar's neighbours Bangladesh conclude their hosting of a major worldwide cricketing competition for the first time, the Myanmar Cricket Federation (MCF) recently held their own fortnight-long tournament which is hoped to have moved the country a little closer to hosting international cricket in the near future.

Players prepare for the opening card flip prior to the Myanmar sixes tournament in Yangon. Photo: Matt Roebuck

Although the T20 Cricket World Cup is the pinnacle of what is generally considered the shortest format of the occasionally limitless – or five days at least - long game, Myanmar went one step further hosting the Yangon Sixes, a six-a-side trial tournament of the normally 11-a-side game. Lasting only five overs – thirty balls – for each side this format of the sport should all be over with in less than an hour, including time for refreshments at the change of innings.

The Bangladeshi-born coach of the Myanmar national side, Ashruq Bappy, explained to The Myanmar Times that MCF has told the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that they would like to invite other national sides to conduct at least one international tournament per year but that this is impossible without two grounds. Cricket in Myanmar has recently suffered a setback as the privately owned Pun Hlaing Oval, next to the Pun Hlaing Golf Course, has seen its last season and will be the site of a new school building.

"Hosting sixes tournaments makes touring Myanmar more realistic," Bappy said.

"Only so many teams can bring a full squad here. Hotels are so expensive. There are far more touring sixes sides in Bangladesh, Thailand, Singapore and of course Hong Kong. With a sixes tournament we can play at one location and complete it within three days. We can offer a package to international touring sides to play cricket and discover Myanmar."

The Hong Kong Sixes have a past of commercial success and international television audiences after attracting world-class players such as Shane Warne and Brian Larato the smaller-sided game.

"The 2014 Yangon Sixes is a first step on the road to hosting international competition. We are testing the sixes format for the first time with local players," Bappy said.

It is hoped that these international sixes competitions will in themselves be test events for full-scale international competition which will be made possible by the proposed privately owned pitch or pitches to be built at the new Star City development.

Ironing out the kinks with a test event is obviously a sensible move in the development of any sporting competition; the Olympics hold a test event for every discipline to be held at a games and with good reason.

The Myanmar Cricket Federation's (MCF) found their first challenge of the tournament right from the toss.What to do in an economy that does not use coinage in day-to-day transactions?

Well, all were thankful for the recent adoption of debit cards as the captains found themselves choosing between the embossed or the signature side of a Visa card.

The first game in Group B played at the Pun Hlaing Oval also led to confusion as a run out off the last ball for the Irrawaddy Cricket Club saw them draw with Ariston 'A but the former took only a single point for the 'losing' draw and the latter secureda winning draw and two points by virtue of having lost fewer wickets; a divergence from the regular format of tournament cricket.

Ariston A were joined by the Myanmar Indians Cricket Club A in qualifying from Group B and went on to rather confusingly meet Myanmar Indians Cricket Club B and Ariston B from Group A respectively to compete in the semi-final and finals at the MCF's Shwe Pin Lon National Cricket Ground in South Dagon township.

Finals day came with a fair sense of drama.

MICC B first defeated Ariston A after chasing down Ariston's 56 all out for the loss of just two wickets. The second game courted controversy however; this time MICC A batted first, putting on 65 runs in their five overs. In the last over of Ariston B's reply, the batting side was closing in on the score when the bowler clearly delivered a high no ball.

Members of the MICC B team objected and Bappy was required to mediate events pitch-side. After calming down, the game continued only for the bowler to bowl yet another illegal delivery. It was however still all within MICC A's control as the Ariston side still required three runs from the final ball of the game.

The batter failed to clear the boundary with his shot and it ran to a corner of the field where three runs would be a tight squeeze as the fielder closed in. It should have been a run too far but once the ball was returned to the wicketkeeper, he failed to gather the ball cleanly and attempted to paddle the ball into the stumps rather than collecting it and removing the bails. He missed and the Ariston batsmen completed the final run to win the game.

It was at this point that a player from the spectating – and victorious in the first game of the day – MICC 'B', once again loudly lodged his complaint, storming onto the field. The team chose to withdraw from the final and Ariston B received a walkover in the final to become the first Yangon Sixes champions.

April 13 will see a team from Melbourne, including members of the famous Melbourne Cricket Club, visit Myanmar to take on the national side in a T20 game of cricket. They will arrive in Yangon following their participation in a Sixes tournament in Thailand.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/sixes-tournament-looks-to-put-myanmar-cricket-on-the-map/