The USA is set to host an additional edition of the Fairbreak Global Invitational T20 in 2023, and the tournament – featuring women cricketers from around the world – will be held twice a year going forward.
The first season took place in May 2022 in Dubai in association with Cricket Hong Kong and the second is scheduled to be held in Hong Kong from April 3 to 16 this year. Now, there will be another round of the tournament in September in the USA as well.
The tournament, fully sanctioned by the ICC, brought together some of the top women’s T20 cricketers in a six-team event last year.
“Working collaboratively, Fairbreak and USA Cricket are supporting gender equality and the advancement of women’s and girls’ cricket globally,” said a statement from USA Cricket.
The tournament in the USA will be held in Houston, Texas from 15 to 30 September. Six teams will come together again for two events this year and the matches will be broadcast internationally. USA Cricket estimates 12 of their top players will take part in September, compared to six that played last year.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to partner with Fairbreak and bring an event here in the USA,” said Vinay Bhimjiani, the newly appointed interim CEO of USA Cricket. “I have been working closely with Shaun Martin, the founder of Fairbreak, and we both agree that this will be an excellent tournament for cricket fans of all ages, genders and nationalities to enjoy!”
Martin said the tournament would provide a “truly global platform” to grow the game and change the lives of the many players who participate. “This is exciting for everyone involved. We have known for some time that both Asia and the Americas are key growth markets for women’s cricket. With the right level of corporate support and increased involvement from broadcasters, we have great opportunities to enrich the skills Another is the opportunity and experience of women cricketers. More importantly, the potential for positive social impact in many communities cannot be underestimated.”
WPL, Women’s U-19 World Cup, and much more – Breakthrough year for women’s cricket?
With the inaugural Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup currently underway, immediately followed by the Senior Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, the WPL and two Fairbreak Invitational T20 tournaments, 2023 could be a landmark year for the development of women’s cricket. The Women’s Hundred, Women’s CPL and WBBL are also scheduled for the second half of the year.
The inaugural edition of the Fairbreak Invitational T20 featured 90 players from 35 countries, divided into six teams, however no players from India participated as the BCCI had not given them a no-objection certificate.
