South Africa vs England Bowl final: how both teams reached Hong Kong Sixes decider
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- South Africa face England in the Bowl final of the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 at Mission Road Ground. The match starts at 1:20 PM Hong Kong time (10:20 AM PKT).
- South Africa beat Bangladesh by one wicket off the last ball. England beat India by three runs. Both semi-finals were thrillers.
- The final decides ninth place. The result was not yet known when this article was written.
A batsman plays an attacking shot in a cricket match. Photograph: Vikramdeep Sidhu/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
South Africa and England meet in the Bowl final of the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 on Sunday, November 1. The match is at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. It starts at 1:20 PM Hong Kong time. That is 10:20 AM in Pakistan and 1:20 AM in US Eastern Time, reports Cricket Daily.
Both teams won thrilling semi-finals on Saturday to reach this final. South Africa won by one wicket off the very last ball. England won by only three runs.
This article explains how each team got here. It also lists the squads and explains what the final means.
What is the Hong Kong Sixes?
The Hong Kong Sixes is a short form of cricket. Each team has only six players. Each team bats for six overs.
That makes every match last about one hour, reports Cricket Daily.
Twelve teams play in the 2026 edition. The group winners go into the Cup. The second-placed teams go into the Plate.
The third-placed teams go into the Bowl. England finished third in Group A behind Australia and Hong Kong. South Africa finished third in Group D behind Afghanistan and Oman, according to Cricket Daily.
The Bowl final is a ninth-place decider. Bangladesh and India, the losers of the two Bowl semi-finals, play each other for eleventh place. So the winner of this final finishes ninth.
How South Africa reached the final
South Africa beat Bangladesh by one wicket in the first Bowl semi-final. Bangladesh made 129 for 4 in their six overs. South Africa chased it down, making 132 for 5 in six overs, reports Cricket Daily.
The match had big hitting from both sides. Bangladesh batsman Habibur Rahman smashed 60 runs off just 14 balls. He hit six sixes in a row off South African bowler Blake Simpson, reports IANS.
That one over cost 36 runs.
South Africa stayed in the chase through Jorich van Schalkwyk. He scored 50 runs off 13 balls. Captain Ayabulela Gqamane then hit four sixes in a row off Abu Hider.
Van Schalkwyk finished the job with three sixes and a four in the last over, reports IANS. South Africa reached the target off the last ball of the match.
South Africa had a mixed run before this win. They lost both group games and finished third in Group D, according to Cricket Daily. But they timed their best chase for the semi-final.
How England reached the final
England beat India by three runs in the second Bowl semi-final. England made 124 for 2 in six overs. India made 121 for 4, falling just short, reports Cricket Daily.
Martin Andersson led England with 51 runs off 13 balls. Ed Barnard stayed unbeaten on 35 off 14 balls, reports IANS. Their fast scoring gave England a total that looked strong in a six-over game.
India fought back hard in the chase. Rahul Tripathi smashed 56 runs off 14 balls, hitting seven sixes. Krunal Pandya added 28 off 7 balls.
But India finished on 121, three runs short of the target, reports IANS.
England also lost both group games before this win. They finished third in Group A with a poor net run rate, according to Cricket Daily. Like South Africa, they found their best form in the semi-final.
Who is playing in the final
Cricbuzz lists the squads for both teams.
England squad:
- Martin Andersson, John Simpson (wicket-keeper and captain), Ed Barnard, Luke Hollman
- Nathan Gilchrist, Jack Carson, Dan Mousley, Fynn Hudson-Prentice
South Africa squad:
- Jorich Van Schalkwyk, Abdullah Bayoumy, Steve Stolk (wicket-keeper), Blake Simpson
- Alindile Mhletywa, Ayabulela Gqamane (captain), Heath Richards
The names to watch are clear. For England, Martin Andersson and Ed Barnard did the damage against India. For South Africa, van Schalkwyk and Gqamane won the semi-final with their six-hitting.
If either pair gets going, the game could end fast.
A cricket stadium lit up at night. Photograph: Bhuvanpolaki/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons
Why this final matters
Ninth place may not sound like much. But the Hong Kong Sixes is about entertainment. Six-hitting and close finishes are the whole point.
Both teams have already given fans two of the best games of the tournament.
The final also shows how fast the format is. England and South Africa lost all four of their group games between them. Yet one good hour of cricket has put both teams in a final.
That is the charm of sixes cricket. No team is ever out of the game.
For fans in Pakistan, the timing is kind. The final starts at 10:20 AM PKT on Sunday morning. For fans in India, it is 10:50 AM.
For fans in the United States, it is 1:20 AM, reports Cricket Daily.
What happens next
The Bowl final is one of three finals on Sunday. After it ends, Oman face Pakistan in the Plate final at 11:15 AM PKT. Pakistan are the defending champions.
They finished second in their group and will be favourites, reports Cricket Daily.
The big one comes last. Australia face Afghanistan in the Cup final at 12:10 PM PKT. Both teams are unbeaten in the tournament.
Australia beat the UAE by 53 runs in their semi-final. Afghanistan beat Scotland by 21 runs, reports Cricket Daily.
Earlier today, Bangladesh faced India in the eleventh-place play-off. That game decides the two spots below this Bowl final. Read our full report on India's campaign at the Hong Kong Sixes.
The Bowl final result was not yet known when this article was written. It started at 10:20 AM PKT. For fans of short, fast cricket, it is worth watching.
If the semi-finals were anything to go by, it should go down to the wire again.
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