The second edition of the Fairbreak Invitational T20 is set to begin in Hong Kong from April 3, 2023. Krithika V outlines a brief history of the tournament.

What is Fairbreak Invitational T20?

A privately funded women’s cricket tournament, organised by Shaun Martyn, Founder and MD of Fairbreak Global, in conjunction with Cricket Hong Kong. The six-team affair brings players together from different parts of the world, and represents more countries than the ICC World Cups.

After a decade of false starts and struggles, the inaugural edition of the tournament took place in May 2022. The tournament was initially scheduled in Hong Kong but was moved to Dubai due to COVID-19 restrictions.

How did it all start?

The idea for the tournament was first conceived in 2013 by former Australian all-rounder Lisa Sthalekar and her then-manager Martyn.

At the point of her retirement, Sthalekar – an all-time great of the sport – was one of the highest-paid female cricketers in the world. Despite that, she was making only A$15,000 and needed another job for a living.

After she retired, in 2013, she established an organisation to provide equal opportunities to female cricketers. Fairbreak Global was born.

Fairbreak initially wanted to start a global tournament on the lines of the Indian Premier League. They named it the Women’s International Cricket League. A year later, they proposed a T20 tournament that would go on for 10 to 12 days with the best women cricketers around the world.

The proposal was discussed at the ICC meeting but was rejected at that time. Clare Connor, Head of Women’s Cricket at the ECB, told that the tournament was “not on their agenda”.

Later that week, Pat Howard, then Executive General Manager at Cricket Australia, clarified that the board “was not involved with the tournament in any way.”

Over the next three years, Fairbreak fought hard to obtain permission from ICC or any of its affiliated boards.

Meanwhile, the CA approved the Women’s Big Bash League as well as increased the contract pay for their cricketers, while the ECB announced full or upgraded contracts for 18 women cricketers.

Fairbreak had to wait until 2018 to organise its first major exhibition match. In May 2018, Sir Paul Getty’s XI, led by Charlotte Edwards, beat Suzie Bates’ FairBreak XI. Players from 11 different countries, including India, participated in the game.

While the match featured stars like Edwards, Bates, Alex Blackwell and Lea Tahuhu, there were several cricketers from Associate Nations as well.

In 2019, the Fairbreak team toured the United Kingdom, taking on several county teams. Blackwell, one of the biggest stars to support the Fairbreak initiative, led the side.

In 2020, she led the Bradman XI side against Sana Mir’s Fairbreak XI for the Blackwell-Mir Cup. This was the match where Botswana cricketer Shameelah Mosweu suffered from a cramp while attempting a single. Blackwell refused to run her out and got her some help.

After the pandemic, the first ever privately funded tournament came into reality. It featured some of the biggest names in world cricket – Bates, Sophie Devine, Deandra Dottin, Suzie Bates, Sune Luus, Heather Knight, Mignon du Preez, but perhaps more significantly, there were cricketers from 35 countries.

What happened in the first edition?

Sophie Ecclestone (17 wickets) and Ayabonga Khaka (9) helped the Team Spirit Women to finish at the top of the points table. However, they lost in the semi-final to the Falcons, led by Bates. For the Falcons, Chamari Athapaththu starred with the bat, finishing with 313 runs, the most in the competition.

Third-placed Tornadoes beat second-placed Barmy Army in the other semi-final by four wickets. Led by Stafanie Taylor, the Tornadoes won the final as well, thanks to Devine’s 35-ball 51.

The tournament was an unequivocal success, not merely because the cricket was great but also for bringing cricketers from Associate Nations into the forefront.

For example, Japan captain Shizuka Miyaji had with the best economy rate (4.71). Rwandan teenager Henriette Ishimwe made heads turn after dismissing the likes of Devine and Nicola Carey.

On a lighter note, Sita Rana Magar of Nepal had celebrated teammates like Katey Martin and Devine joining her in the iconic ‘Pushpa’ celebration. It was a tournament perhaps more inclusive as any in the history of cricket.

What has happened since then?

The Fairbreak XI team began touring in August 2022 after missing out on a couple of years due to the pandemic. They were invited to play at Arundel as part of the 125th Cricket Anniversary celebrations and later, by the Netherlands and Scotland.

In 2023, they toured Australia to take on the ACT Meteors team. In all, they played 12 games.

What to expect in the second edition?

The tournament is returning home, to Hong Kong this year. While all six teams have retained most players, there had to be replacements for a few players, including Barmy Army captain Knight. Knight’s England England teammate Lauren Winfield-Hill will lead them instead.

Devine will also miss the tournament, and has been replaced by Dane van Niekerk. Pakistan’s Aliya Riaz will also make her first appearance, while 12 Hong Kong players will feature in their home country.

For the Fairbreak Invitational T20 second edition squads, click here.

What is in store for the future?

After the first edition, Martyn announced that the Fairbreak Global tournament will provide a “truly global platform” for cricketers around the world. He wanted to conduct the tournament biannually.

The next edition will be played in Houston, from September 15 to 30.