New Zealand will play their 1st match of the tournament against the home team Hong Kong China
Twelve teams will take part in the 2024 Hong Kong Sixes, which is to be played from 1 November to 3 November in Mong Kok. New Zealand are one of them, and they are drawn with South Africa and Hong Kong China in Pool A.
The New Zealand side has included a vast majority of inexperienced cricketers for the tournament, and Todd Astle is the most experienced player in the squad. Some of the players are from Hong Kong like Raunq kapur and Harmeet Singh, and others who play club cricket in New Zealand, including Siddesh Dixit and Xavier Bell.
Let’s analyse each player separately and discuss them in detail from New Zealand squad.
A leg-spinner with some international experience, Todd Astle, 38 years old, made his international debut in 2012, played 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 player in the squad.
Astle appeared mostly in domestic cricket. He has had an extremely long association with Canterbury. His last match was in February 2023. He has taken 334 wickets so far in 119 matches of first-class cricket and has also scored 4,435 runs, displaying all-round ability.
Astle has taken 98 wickets and scored 1,875 runs in 94 List A matches. In T20s, he has played 97 matches, picked 78 wickets and scored 399 runs.
Harmeet Singh, 34 yrs old, is a Hong Kong cricketer who featured in the 2010 U-19 World Cup. He played three matches in that tournament and scored a total of 10 runs.
Now, he is going to represent New Zealand at the coming tournament. The career of this player had not been reported much, but from this opportunity, he gets a chance to play in a slightly larger platform.
Henry McIntyre, only 20, has shown promise across various formats in club cricket. In the two-day+ competition, he has scored 200 runs and taken 14 wickets in 9 matches.
In the one-day competition, McIntyre has played 16 matches. Here, he has scored 185 runs and taken 27 wickets. His T20 experience includes playing in 20 matches where he has made 282 runs and has taken 16 wickets.
Beyond that, not much is known about him. He also keeps wickets and may be required to do in this tournament.
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The 20 year old, Raunaq Kapur 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 games and 1 T20 in domestic cricket. Though he doesn’t have much experience, this tournament is a great chance for him to show his skills and get noticed.
Sam Cassidy, aged 20, a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer. Although he has not played on international level, he has some club cricket experience.
Cassidy in one-day competition has scored 234 runs as well as taken 12 wickets in 12 matches. He also has T20 experience, where in 10 matches, he has scored 178 runs along with 4 wickets.
Siddesh Dixit, 25 years old, is a left-handed batter and right-arm medium pacer. Though he hasn’t represented New Zealand at the international level, he has gained experience in club cricket.
In two-day+ competition, Dixit has scored 296 runs and taken 25 wickets in 12 matches. In one-day, he has played 11 matches, scoring 378 runs and picking up 13 wickets. His T20 experience includes 9 matches, where he has contributed 213 runs and claimed 9 wickets.
Dixit is going to be a very crucial all-rounder for New Zealand in this tournament. He helps the team to provide balance with both bat and ball.
Xavier Bell, aged 18, is a right-handed batter and right-arm medium pacer with experience in club cricket, though he hasn’t yet represented New Zealand.
In two-day+ competition, Bell has scored 405 runs and has taken 17 wickets in 9 matches. He also played 31 one-day matches with 1398 runs and 35 wickets. Also, he played 13 T20s, with an aggregate run of 420 runs and claimed 7 wickets as well.
Similar to Siddesh Dixit, Bell is going to be a crucial all-rounder for New Zealand in this tournament.
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