DID you hear the one about the Indian businessman offering the Hong Kong cricket team HK$100,000 if they win the Sixes? No, it's not a joke. At least the part about the offer is true. But when this story was related to the pundits of the game, everyone's first reaction was utter incredulity.
'Hong Kong win the Sixes. Ha, ha,' has been the general reaction. Cynics all of them.
But even Hong Kong captain Pat Fordham laughed when asked whether he had heard about this challenge.
He, however, quickly admitted that anything can happen. 'It certainly will be nice to win. But I would like to know what sort of odds they are offering against us winning,' said Fordham.
After all, with cricket being the game it is - and especially as this is a five-over contest - the territory's part-time cricketers can certainly make a valid claim.
The only team in the nine-team competition which is not a professional side - even fellow ICC associate members Holland boast a couple of English county players - Hong Kong can proudly point to past results and tell the doubting Thomases to take a running jump.
