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Kowloon Cricket Club Oct 31-Nov 1

It took cricket’s overlords a few decades, but it seems they’re finally realising that the game’s too damn long. An international test match, with a five-day duration, is too much for 99.999 per cent of the world’s humans to follow, and even one-day matches, usually clocking in at somewhere around eight hours, stretch the patience of today’s Twittery society. The abbreviated Twenty20 matches have marked a move to more spectator-friendly action in recent years, but before they came along, there were the even-headier Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

Played at the Kowloon Cricket Club for the last 14 years and designed to be TV-friendly – expect a lot of big hitting and fast scoring – the Sixes are a great introduction to the game, and a good thrill for bona fide fans. At 45 minutes per match, there’s no time to get bored, and the games attract many of the world’s best players, even if some are past their use-by dates.

This year, some of the best talent is on the New Zealand team, which includes one-time car salesman and prolific scorer Craig McMillan and all-round ace Scott Styris, who has been making a tidy packet playing in the elite Indian Premier League. Internationals Craig Spearman and Peter Fulton also front for the Kiwis. cricketing legend and world number three test wicket taker of all time Anil Kumble will be here too, heading up the Indian team. The spin bowler, at 39 years old, led his Royal Challengers Bangalore team to this year’s IPL final.

The tournament is divided into two pools of four teams: the Southern Hemisphere (which bizarrely features Hong Kong) and the Northern Hemisphere. Ticket prices have also been reduced from 2008. No better time than now to see some cricket action in Hong Kong, then.

Hamish McKenzie

www.hkcricketsixes.com. Tickets 3128 8288, hkticketing.com.