Hong Kong T20 Blitz under threat as franchise owners hit out at organisers over ‘eerie silence’
- Cricket Hong Kong says busy schedule for the representative team means Hong Kong players may be unavailable to play in the Blitz
- Franchise owners say CHK has refused to respond to emails and queries about the 2019 tournament, even though Sixes is scheduled for November
Franchise owners for the Hong Kong T20 Blitz expressed dismay on Monday over Cricket Hong Kong’s “eerie silence”, with the governing body indicating the 2019 tournament may be cancelled because of fixture clashes.
City Kaitak owner Sushil Kumar and Hung Hom JD Jaguars’ Susan Lulla said they had yet to hear from CHK about the 2019 event, which was scheduled for October as part of the grand week-long festival of international cricket also involving the Hong Kong Sixes.
However, while posters at Hong Kong Airport are promoting the Sixes for November 1-3, CHK had remained silent about the Blitz until Monday.
CHK chief executive Justin Pearce said though the Blitz had yet to be officially cancelled, “unless the [franchise] owners and [organisers] CCIL [China Cricket International Limited] can find a date in a very narrow window I cannot see how this is possible after the ICC changes to scheduling”.
Hong Kong face hosts Oman, Scotland, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, and Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier from October 11 to November 3.