New Zealand will play its first match of the tournament against local team Hong Kong China
Twelve teams will participate in the Hong Kong Sixes 2024, which will be played from November 1 to 3 in Mong Kok. New Zealand is one of them and is tied with South Africa and Hong Kong China in Group A.
The New Zealand team has included a large majority of inexperienced cricketers for the tournament, with Todd Astle being the most experienced player in the team. Some of the players are from Hong Kong such as Raunq Kapur and Harmeet Singh, and others play club cricket in New Zealand, including Siddesh Dixit and Xavier Bell.
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Let’s look at each player separately and analyze them in detail from the New Zealand team.
Todd Astle
Todd Astle, 38, a player with some international experience, made his international debut in 2012, playing five Tests, nine ODIs and 5 T20Is for New Zealand. He will lead the New Zealand team in the tournament as he is one of the most experienced players on the team.
Astle mainly appeared in domestic cricket. He has had an extremely long association with Canterbury. His last match was in February 2023. He has so far taken 334 wickets in 119 first-class cricket matches and has also scored 4,435 runs, demonstrating all-round ability.
Astle took 98 wickets and scored 1,875 runs in 94 List A matches. In T20, he played 97 matches, picking 78 wickets and scoring 399 runs.
Harmeet Singh
Harmeet Singh, 34, is a Hong Kong cricketer who participated in the 2010 U-19 World Cup. He played three matches in that tournament and scored a total of 10 runs.
He will now represent New Zealand in the upcoming tournament. Not much has been reported about this player’s career, but as of this opportunity, he has the opportunity to play on a slightly bigger platform.
Henry Mccintyre
Henry McIntyre, just 20 years old, has shown promise in various formats in club cricket. In the two-day-plus competition, he scored 200 runs and took 14 wickets in 9 matches.
In the one-day competition, McIntyre has played 16 matches. Here, he scored 185 runs and took 27 wickets. His T20 experience includes playing in 20 matches in which he made 282 runs and took 16 wickets.
Beyond that, not much is known about him. He also keeps wickets and may have to do so in this tournament.
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Raunaq Kapur
Raunaq Kapur, 20, plays for Hong Kong but will represent New Zealand in this tournament. He played his first T20I match for Hong Kong in April 2024 against Saudi Arabia where he took 1 wicket.
He has also played 4 List A and 1 T20 matches in domestic cricket. Although he doesn’t have much experience, this tournament is a great opportunity for him to show his skills and get noticed.
Sam Cassidy
Sam Cassidy, 20, right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer. Although he has not played at international level, he has some experience in club cricket.
Cassidy in the one-day competition scored 234 runs and took 12 wickets in 12 matches. He also has T20 experience, where in 10 matches he scored 178 runs along with 4 wickets.
Siddesh Dixit
Siddesh Dixit, 25, is a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer. Although he has not represented New Zealand at international level, he has gained experience in club cricket.
In a contest spanning over two days, Dixit scored 296 runs and took 25 wickets in 12 matches. In one day, he played 11 matches, scored 378 runs and got 13 wickets. His T20 experience includes 9 matches, where he contributed 213 runs and claimed 9 wickets.
Dixit will be a crucial all-rounder for New Zealand in this tournament. Helps the team provide balance with both bat and ball.
xavier bell
Xavier Bell, 18, is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer with experience in club cricket, although he has not yet represented New Zealand.
In a contest spanning over two days, Bell scored 405 runs and took 17 wickets in 9 matches. He also played 31 one-day matches with 1398 runs and 35 wickets. Additionally, he played 13 T20s, with a career total of 420 runs and also claimed 7 wickets.
Like Siddesh Dixit, Bell will be a crucial all-rounder for New Zealand in this tournament.
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