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INDIA'S key strike bowler Javagal Srinath will make his return to the international arena at next weekend's New T&T/Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cricket Sixes.

 Organisers, who yesterday unveiled the final lineup for the nine-team annual extravaganza at the Hong Kong Stadium, were pleased with the quality of the side sent by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

 The 28-year-old fast bowler from Karnataka and the presence of two currently out-of-favour Test players - Navjot Sidhu and Anil Kumble - will turn the Indian team into a very competitive outfit.

 Others in the seven-man squad are Sanjay Manjrekar, Rohan Gavaskar, Salil Ankola and Gagan Khoda.

 An injury had ruled Srinath out of the Indian Test squad since the tour of South Africa earlier this year. He is apparently fit again and ready to carry the burden of India's attack.

 'This is close to the best team we could have got and we are very, very happy with the Indian board's selection,' said Papu Butani, executive director of Cricket World International.

 Fellow CWI-director Brian Catton called the final line-up of teams the 'most competitive field since 1993'.

 'If you offered me this group of players at the start of the year I would have given it my wholehearted approval,' said Catton, who has had a running battle with cricket's administrators around the world in an attempt to get the best names to Hong Kong.

 Organisers had feared that India would be under-strength due to India and Pakistan being involved in a one-day series starting next Sunday.

 But despite not being able to get the current crop of internationals, both India and Pakistan - who will include Wasim Akram and Aamir Sohail - have named strong sides.

 Srinath has played 123 one-day internationals and 27 Tests for India and is the best strike bowler India can currently boast of. Leg-spinner Kumble, the Test vice-captain until he got the sack, and hard-hitting batsman Sidhu were part of the Indian team at the recent Asian Cup and Test series against Sri Lanka.

 Both have been ditched, which allowed organisers to get them.

 Manjrekar has been a regular in Hong Kong at the Sixes. He also captained a Rest of the World XI in an exhibition game against Australia before the Ashes series earlier this year. Rohan Gavaskar, son of the famous Sunil, is another explosive batsman who starred at the recent Super Eights in Malaysia.

 Meanwhile, an exhibition Sixes match between a Hong Kong team, led by Eddie Tse, and Japan will be played on the first day of the Sixes.

 Cricinfo, the largest cricket database on-line, will provide an official website and live coverage of the Sixes.

 'Cricinfo is firmly established as the largest single-sport database in the world and has just reached a recorded three million hits per week. As they are hosting the Sixes official website, it will certainly create significant global awareness of the event,' said Catton.

 The website is located at www.hksixes.cricket.org.



Wait worthwhile as Indians name strong Sixes lineup