Dates, schedule, squads, TV and streaming information, history, format and prediction for the women's exhibition tournament in Hong Kong
The Fairbreak Invitational is a T20 competition held at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong, which aims to promote equality for all.
The second edition of the Fairbreak Invitational gets underway on Monday, April 3, with an opening ceremony, and the Fairbreak All-Stars facing the Hong Kong Divas in an exhibition match. The first game of the tournament then gets underway that afternoon in a repeat of the final of last season, with the Falcons playing the Tornadoes.
Over the following 10 days, the six teams will contsnt a total of 15 group-stage matches, which conclude on Wednesday, April 12. The top four teams then qualify for the semi-finals, which are happening on Saturday, April 15.
The two successful semi-finalists will then do battle for the title on Sunday, April 16.
The Fairbreak Invitational is made up of six teams. The winners of the first edition of the competition, the Tornadoes, runners-up the Falcons, as well as the Spirit, the Warriors, and the Sapphires. The final team is the Barmy Army, which is supported by the English supporters' group of the same name.
Action from the Fairbreak Invitiational in the UAE in 2022 [AFP via Getty Images]
The tournament starts with a group stage, in which each team plays each other once. There will two games a day and two rest days starting the day after the opening fixture on April 3.
A play-off then takes place between the fifth and sixth-placed teams to determine those positions. In the semi-finals, the team which tops the group plays the fourth-placed team, and second goes up against third.
The two successful semi-finalists will then do battle to be crowned champions, with the losers settling for the third-placed playoff.
In the group stage, five points are awarded for a win, one point for each team if there is a tie, and no points for the losing side. If the game must be abandoned, each team will be awarded a point.
There is also a bonus point on offer in each game, given to the team who has the higher score after ten overs.
The Tornadoes won the inaugural edition of the Fairbreak Invitational, chasing down 152 in the last over to beat the Falcons by eight wickets. The Spirit and the Barmy Army were the beaten semi-finalists, despite ending the group stages as the top two sides.
The Spirit lost only one of their group matches, but the Falcons timed their form perfectly after losing more games than they won in the group. An inspired performance, which saw Danni Wyatt hit 83 off just 48 balls, led to a 25-run victory.
The Tornadoes also caused an upset, beating the Barmy Army by four wickets.
In the final, the Tornadoes limited the Falcons to 59 for 4. Enter Marizanne Kapp at No.6, who smashed 67 at a strike rate of 181 to drag their score to a somewhat competitive 151 for 4. Chanida Sutthiruang stood out with the ball, ending with figures of 2 for 19.
The Tornadoes' opening pair of Sophie Devine and Sterre Kallis got off to a strong start, hitting an opening partnership of 76. Both eventually got out, with Stafanie Taylor and Sune Luus stepping up to see the side home. An eight-wicket win meant the Tornadoes were crowned champions of the first Fairbreak Invitational.
Action from the Fairbreak Invitiational in the UAE in 2022 [AFP via Getty Images]
This year's tournaments sees players from 28 different countries taking part, ranging from the expected, such as England and Australia, to the unexpected, such as Brazil, Austria, and Bhutan.
The Warriors, who ended last season bottom of the group, include Phoebe Litchfield, the young Australian who has been picked in the Ashes squad for this summer.
Defeating champions Tornadoes look to have a strong side, with South African stars Dane van Niekerk and Sune Luss some of their stand-out names. England international Tash Farrant, who ended the 2021 Hundred as top wicket-taker, but has struggled with injury since, will be turning out for the Sapphires.
Alongside Farrant will be Australian international Erin Burns, and Irish international Gaby Lewis. The Barmy Army look strong, with World Boss Deandra Dottin, South African Laura Wolvaardt, and Lauren Winfield-Hill all in the line-up. Also in the side are two Brazilians: Roberta Moretti Avery and Laura Cardoso.
Sophia Dunkley and Nicola Carey are set to turn out for Spirit, with the opening partnership of the K-Man Falcons among one of the strongest available in world cricket. Danni Wyatt and Suzie Bates will be opening their innings, with Marizanne Kapp offering useful lower order runs along with her skills with the ball.
Each team possesses several high-quality players, who, on their day, can put in a match-winning performance.
T20 cricket is unpredictable, as shown by the fact neither of the top two from last season’s group stage were able to make it to the final. However, this offers opportunities to players to make their contributions count.
The Barmy Army possess a very strong batting line-up, with three international-standard batters looking to give them the best start to an innings possible. Another feather in their cap is Tara Norris, the American, who announced herself on the world stage with the first-ever WPL five-for.
They look like the team to beat, but should expect tough opposition from the K-Man Falcons in particular. Their opening partnership looks formidable, and any team who can say Marizanne Kamp will be playing for them should never be written off.
Those hoping to catch the action in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka can do so by tuning into Sony Sports.
Fancode will also be streaming the tournament in India.
A Sports is the place to go in Pakistan, and Fox Sports will have coverage in Australia.
In the Caribbean, SportsMax is the place to go, with Viaplay covering every ball for fans in the UK and Ireland.
Supersport has the broadcast rights in South Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa, and fans in the USA and Canada can tune into the competition on Willow.
Coverage for people in Continental Europe is being provided by ReCast.tv, and those in the host country of Hong Kong can watch highlights on SPOTV.
Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.