Ball, who captained the England Under-19 team at this year’s World Cup in Australia, is tipped as a future fast-bowling prospect for the country and fans at the Kowloon Cricket Club will get the chance to see him in full flow at the October 27-28 tournament.
“We have heard good things about him and it will be interesting to see if he can cope with the high pressures of this game where you only get six balls to make an impression,” said Captain Saleem Shahzada, president of the Hong Kong Cricket Association.
Ball, a left-arm fast medium bowler who models his style on leading Australian test bowler Mitchell Johnson, will be hoping to make a lasting impression as England go in hunt of title number six.
England, along with Pakistan, is historically the most successful team at the Hong Kong Sixes. Last year they lost in the Cup final to their arch-rivals from the sub-continent and will be hoping to put the record straight if they meet again.
England is in Pool A along with Australia, South Africa and hosts Hong Kong while Pakistan are in Pool B with Sri Lanka, India and the Netherlands.
Two members of last year’s team, Joshua Cobb and Tom Smith, return for another tilt at the crown while the rest of the squad comprises a nice mix of bowling-all-rounders and hard-hitting batsmen who can turn their arm.
Former England age group football striker Keith Barker, a left-hand bat, will be aiming to prove he can be deadly with his arms too and will be among the batsmen to watch for. Barker, who played for the national Under-18 and Under-19 soccer team signed on for Blackburn Rovers before deciding his true calling was cricket.
The wicketkeeper will be Ben Brown, who turns out regularly for Sussex, profiting from the absence of Matt Prior when he is on national duty.
England Manager Andy Hurry commented on his squad saying, “First and foremost, it's a pretty young, vibrant, dynamic and driven side coming out to Hong Kong who will be very motivated at doing well. Each individual has got a lot to prove and they have a lot of motivation to do well and progress through the England ranks and into the One day international sides.
We have always been very competitive and done very well in the Hong Kong Sixes and our goal will be to go one better than last year and we are very focused on achieving that goal.”
Hurry is also excited about the challenges that the unique format of the Hong Kong Sixes presents, saying, “The shorter the concept, the more exciting and entertaining the game. We don't play Sixes domestically here in England as we focus more on T20 but with ball, it's about getting wickets and with the bat, it all about boundaries. It is a very exciting and entertaining format and everyone is excited about getting out to Hong Kong and the opportunity that is in front of us of to succeed in the tournament.”
“As always England will be a competitive side. They are all professionals and we can expect them to challenge for top honours once again,” Saleem said.
England Squad
Joshua Cobb (Captain), Adam Ball, Keith Barker, Ben Brown, Christopher Nash, Thomas Smith, Ross Whiteley, Andrew Hurry (Manager)
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