Former Australian Test captain, Kim Hughes, will be the guest of honour at Chinese cricket's flagship event,. the "Steinlager Shanghai International Cricket Sixes" to start next Saturday.

The eight team field includes teams from Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand.

While the previous events in 1999 and 2000 included all-Chinese, Japanese and Korean combinations, only the Korean Crusaders have returned. The Korean Crusaders compete in the Korea Cricket Assocation League. The Japanese opted for a tournament in Thailand, while contact with the Beijing Chinese has been broken.

The eight teams are: Shanghai Cavaliers (A), Shanghai Cavaliers (B), Beijing-Peking Cricket Club, Hong Kong CC, Korean Crusaders, India (local expats & imports from India), CBB (Thailand), Chesterton Petty Six Pack (a touring Australian expat team).

The Cavaliers have begun the process of introducing Chinese to the game, and report success with Chinese involvement in the just passed indoor season and hope Chinese will return for the outdoor season.

If that's the case, they will have the opportunity to play on the first permanent cricket wicket in China. It's an astro turf pitch which the Shanghai Cavaliers see as a step in the right direction, provided by the International Cricket Council.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd