Cricketing superstars and former rivals Shane Warne, Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath will team up this weekend, hoping to fire an all-star team to victory at the Hong Kong Sixes.
The tournament, first held in 1992, produces frenetic cricket in which six-a-side teams bat for only five overs each innings and every fielder has to bowl.
Batsmen retire when they reach 31 runs and matches last no more than 45 minutes.
The all-star squad, which also includes Anil Kumble, Craig McMillan, Geraint Jones and Heath Streak, will compete against nine national sides over two days at the Kowloon Cricket Club, set amid Hong Kong's towering skyscrapers.
Famous for its devil-may-care style and raucous crowds, the Hong Kong Sixes has a record of attracting the world's top players, with Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Flintoff all appearing in past tournaments.
Organizers hope the competition will grow further on the back of the recent success of the short-form Twenty20 game and the massive interest in cricket in south Asia.
Harsh Sabale, a Hong Kong-based Indian entrepreneur, recently bought the rights to the event and has big ambitions to boost its appeal.
"The Sixes is a lot of fun and it seemed wrong for it not to have a much greater profile," he said.
Brian Lara, speaking at a cricket clinic ahead of the tournament, said: "It is going to be an exciting time playing alongside all the guys I have played against over the years. The Sixes is exciting stuff and since I retired, this is my first stint back on the cricket field, so I am looking forward to it."
Taking on the all-stars in the hunt for the US$100,000 winners' cheque will be teams from Australia, Bangladesh, England, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.
Last year's tournament was won by outsiders South Africa, who beat favorites Pakistan in the final.
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