By Jay Dansinghani

The second edition of the FairBreak Invitational will take place from April 3 to 16 at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong. 90 players from 36 different countries and territories will be in action. Many of these players are from associate nations and they credit the inaugural edition of the Invitational for serving as a catalyst for their growth as athletes.

‘This tournament is very important and it gives a lot of opportunity to gain multiple experiences from other country’s players, which helps to develop my skills in games,’ said Winifred Duraisingam whose successful 2022 campaign for the Tornadoes earned her numerous plaudits and a spot on the cover of the FairBreak book, co-authored by Karen Motyka dn Shaun Martyn.

Soon after the conclusion of the 2022 tournament, Duraisingam went on to lead Malaysia to a second-place finish at the ACC Women’s T20 Championship and into the Asia Cup, where they gained valuable experiences against the UAE and full members, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Much like Duraisingam, UAE and Warriors’ Esha Oza had a strong ACC Women’s T20 Championship, scoring a 115 off 67 against Qatar, her second T20I century.

‘As a sportsperson, and as Associate Players, we are getting a lot of fame (people know about us). Before this no one really knew about UAE cricket or that it was at a high level,’ said Oza in the build up to April’s Invitational.

‘The Under-19 girls went and played the Under-19 World Cup, and we also played the Asia Cup; all this happened after FairBreak, and that experience helped us go out and play at a higher level and this has taken UAE cricket and Associate cricket to the next level,’ Oza continued.

Captaining the UAE at the Under-19 World Cup was Oza’s compatriot Falcons wicket-keeper-batter Theertha Satish, who scored an impressive 58 off 48 balls against Australia.

‘This was the first time I was captaining a side and the amount of learnings I had through chats with the captain (Falcons captain) and coaches (Falcons coaches), and the way they helped me deal with this task was incredible, said Satish. ‘I owe a lot to them. They also helped me be a much calmer person both on and off the field.’

Barmy Army and USA left-arm seamer Tara Norris was yet another associate cricketer to taste success after last year’s Invitational in Dubai. Playing for the Deli Capitals, she took the first five-wicket haul in the history of the Women’s Premier League.

‘Last year was a fantastic tournament and raised the profile of so many associate cricketers. I believe FairBreak will only continue to get better each year,’ said Norris, echoing Esha Oza’s sentiments.

Sita Rana Magar’s pushpa celebration is one of the enduring images of the inaugural FairBreak Invitational. She shone with the ball last year, taking key wickets including that of Sophia Dunkley against the Spirit. Yet, the tournament was also an opportunity to work on her batting.

She top-scored with 214 runs at an average of 107 in the recently concluded Lalitpur Mayor’s Cup, a domestic T20 tournament played amongst Nepal’s best players. She also topped the wicket-taking charts with 8 scalps. Speaking to the media in May of last year, she spoke of how being in the Tornadoes dugout has improved her game.

I came to know that senior players just focus on particular areas. In one day if they want to hit long-range shots, they will only focus on that,’ said the all-rounder who has come to realize the value of a more targeted approach to training.

You can watch all five of these athletes and more associate stars in action at the 2023 Cricket Hong Kong FairBreak Invitational.

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