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.
One week later, the squad travel to Dhaka for the ACC Emerging Nations Asia Cup, a 50-over tournament featuring the under-23 teams from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka along with Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Oman and United Arab Emirates.
Hong Kong is also staging the ICC CWC Challenge League from 25 November to 10 December and Pearce said if the Blitz was to go ahead in October Hong Kong’s top players would likely be unavailable.
According to CHK’s financial reports, the body is owed almost HK$13 million by CCIL for the organisation of the Blitz and Sixes – money that had yet to be paid by June 2018.
Both tournaments have been running at substantial losses.
The Blitz enjoyed three successful years and boasted a number of world-class players such as Australia’s Michael Clarke and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara. CHK then decided to postpone its late winter date and stage the event back-to-back with the Sixes – which was cancelled last year – in October 2019.
It now appears that the Sixes, which has suffered in the past because of a lack of sponsorship, will be a stand-alone event in November.
However, the franchise owners said their main issue with CHK was the breakdown in communications.
“The most disappointing part is the eerie silence CHK and [director Jonty] Cummings in particular has maintained over the status of the Blitz and not responding to a number of emails from the owners seeking clarity on the same,” said Kumar.
“The owners had invested some serious money into this and had brought the Blitz to internationally acceptable standards with almost 25 international players in the last two editions.
“Broadcast and viewership also saw wonderful growth. If the news of cancellation is true Cricket Hong Kong officials have had no courtesy in discussing the same with the owners and they have taken this decision unilaterally. Very, very disappointed.”
Lulla said: “An advertisement for the Sixes was seen at the airport, unfortunately we have no information on the Blitz and CHK hasn’t bothered to respond to emails, neither have they sent us any official information about the Blitz.
“All we want is clarity on the matter, and ideally the Blitz must go ahead since CHK themselves as well as the franchises have all worked hard to raise its profile and the benefits it brings to Hong Kong cricket and the players is a no-brainer.
“Other countries including Europe are starting out with T20 leagues, but CHK surprisingly seems to show no real interest in the one format where Hong Kong is most likely able to compete consistently against other associates as well as the big boys of cricket.”
