Cricket

How women are helping cricket become the new world game

– Article by Geoff Lawson

Image source: SMH – Alex Blackwell

It’s a confusing time in the cricket world – in a good way.

Confusion caused by so much activity from the flannelled fools; a plethora of fixtures and formats that would make Roy and HG shudder. Just when is too much cricket not enough?

We have already had two Test series, completed a domestic 50-over competition, the Sheffield Shield is three-quarters done, half of the WNCL has been played, the WBBL is done and dusted, we’re just past the halfway point in the BBL, the Australian men’s team is on a trip (couldn’t really call it a tour) to India – and that’s all before Australia Day.

Reverse sweeping towards us is the women’s T20 tri-series against India and England, followed by the Women’s T20 World Cup – which will be opened, slogged, swatted and closed between February 15 and March 8. For the aficionados, you can even follow Australia A versus the English Lions men’s series.

Plenty to pontificate about or just sit back and watch as the various spectacles unfold on our screens or up close and personal in the stands. And that’s just the home fixtures. Australia are also contesting the Under-19 World Cup now in South Africa against the likes of Nigeria and Japan.

…

Fortunately, the Fairbreak organisation (an international advocate for gender equality) has taken up the cudgel to promote opportunity through the sport in a number of the forgotten cricket-playing countries.

As an adjunct to the World Cup, a Fairbreak team will play the first match against a Bradman Foundation team at Bradman Oval on February 22. The Fairbreak team will be comprised of players from 10 different countries and include arguably Australia’s finest player Alex Blackwell, and representatives from Vanuatu, the Netherlands, Botswana, Singapore, the US, England, Hong Kong and Ireland. The match will be live-streamed (http://fairbreak.ion-sport.com) and there will be an early match against a first SCG XI women’s team. The main game starts at 2.30pm and the pipe opener is at 10.30am.

Full article here on SMH.

Elle Williams2020-01-26T23:26:41-05:00January 26th, 2020|News|

Two members of Team USA’s Women’s National Team to play for FairBreak XI in February 2020

Two members of Team USA’s Women’s National Team will travel to Australia to play a series of matches for an international representative side next month. Following a recommendation from USA Women’s Head Coach, Julia Price, the USA Women’s Selection Committee has endorsed the selection of Sindhu Sriharsha and Geetika Kodali to play for FairBreak Global XI who will play a series of matches from February 17 – 22 in Australia.

The two invited players from the United States will train and play alongside players from at least 8 other countries including Vanuatu, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Botswana and Australia. They will come together to make up the FairBreak Global XI and among other matches, will play the first ever Bradman Women’s XI in a T20 match on February 22nd at the Bradman Oval in Bowral, New South Wales.

This match will be a significant one for both FairBreak and the Bradman Foundation, with it being the first time in history that a Bradman Women’s XI has been selected. Australia’s most capped women’s cricketer and Bradman Scholar, Alex Blackwell will captain the Bradman XI in a match that will be live-streamed around the world.

Read the full article here in USA Cricket.

Elle Williams2020-01-24T00:51:23-05:00January 24th, 2020|News|

FairBreak players presented with a numbered cap

We are so pleased to have been able to present all players who have been invited to participate in a FairBreak program with a special numbered cap. This cap signifies the order of invitation of the player. As our program develops, each player invited will be presented with their numbered cap prior to taking the field for FairBreak.

Alex Blackwell, Australia
Suzie Bates, New Zealand
Shamilia Connell, West Indies
Mariko Hill, Hong Kong
Diviya GK, Singapore
Selina Solman, Vanuatu
Nadia Gruny, USA
Akanksha Kohli, India
Lakshmi Yadav, India
Vasali Jesrani, Oman
Divya Saxena, Canada
Sana Mir, Pakistan
Sterre Kalis, Netherlands
Laura Mophakedi, Botswana
Shameelah Mosweu, Botswana
Kathryn Bryce, Scotland
Ruchita Venkatesh, Hong Kong
Stephanie Fronhmayer, Germany
Celeste Raack, Ireland
Chelsey Rowson, England
Grace Scrivens, England
Ryana Macdonald-Gay, England

Thank you to all the incredible women who have accepted our invitation. FairBreak, as a movement, is a collaboration with everyone involved and we are so grateful to all who have given their time, skills, expertise, encouragement and support.

Elle Williams2019-09-15T01:36:46-04:00September 15th, 2019|News|

FairBreak UK 2019 tour wrap-up

Our four game UK tour was a wonderful week of cricket for 14 players from 10 countries, including six past or present national captains participate during the week.

Coach – Khyati Gulani from Delhi, manager – Saba Nasim from the UK, and senior players Sana Mir (Pakistan) and Alex Blackwell (Australia) challenged the team to play with consistency across all four games. All payers responded to this challenge and it was incredible to see how quickly the team ethos developed with players working hard for one another as individuals and as a team. Everyone contributed to the success of the tour.

There were excellent ‘player of the match’ performances on field from Sterre Kalis (Netherlands), Shameelah Mosweu ( Botswana), Akanksha Kohli (India) and Ryana Macdonald-Gay (England). Mariko Hill (Hong Kong) continued to develop her captaincy skills in the 40 over game against a Kent Invitational XI.

Watch the recorded live-stream of the Wormsley game here, thanks to Ion Sport.

A highlight for everyone was the opportunity to again play at Wormlsey. An invitation to attend the Garsington Opera after the cricket capped off a great day and wonderful experience for the team. 2018 FairBreak XI captain, Suzie Bates (New Zealand) also made an appearance at Wormsley to do ‘throw downs’, talk with players and run the drinks. This all-class involvement from Suzie is the epitome of the true nature of who a #FairBreaker is, supporting all players from all backgrounds in any way possible.

Other poignant #FairBreaker examples of particular note were the efforts made by Stephanie Frohnmayer (Germany) and Celeste Raack (Ireland). Stephanie is a gynecologist who returned to Germany on our weekend off to deliver four babies before flying back to London to play the MCC in back to back T20 matches. Celeste made a ‘lightning’ trip back to Dublin to her physiotherapy practice before returning to deliver more leg breaks, flippers and googlies.

The looping spin and bounce from Ruchitha Venkatesh (Hong Kong) proved a handful for all opposition during the week, and Laura Mophakedi (Botswana) was reliable behind the stumps. Having to keep to Sana Mir was both a great thrill and significant learning experience for Laura.

Although Kathryn Bryce could only make one appearance during the week it was fantastic to have her with us and we look forward to Kathryn making many more appearances with us.

A big thank you to Lydia Greenway and her ‘Cricket 4 Girls’ program for introducing English players Chelsey Rowson, Grace Scrivens and Ryana Macdonald-Gay to FairBreak. All outstanding young players who made significant contributions to the team and results. All will be invited back as #FairBreakers and we will be following their progress closely.

Finally, a special thank you to Sana Mir and Alex Blackwell. Both women are icons of the game. They enjoy global recognition for their achievements both on and off the field for the great example they set. To have them give so freely of their time, advice, encouragement and knowledge to all players is invaluable.

Thank you to everyone for a fabulous week of cricket, dinners, lunches, opera, laughs and friendship.

FairBreak would especially like to acknowledge the wonderful contribution made by Gencor and R.V. Venkatesh.

Thank you to our associated sponsors and supporters: Kookaburra, ANP Solar, Globetrotter Travel, VOOST, Rudy Project, Happy Faces, and our CSR partner SolarBuddy.

FairBreak is about equality and opportunity, the concept of a ‘fair go ‘ for all and the purity of sport. #FairBreaker @FairBreakGlobal

Connect with us on Twitter and see the live updates, photos and videos from the games in our Twitter feed!

Elle Williams2019-08-19T08:33:33-04:00August 19th, 2019|News|

FairBreak XI July 2019 UK Games

We’re so excited to bring together players from around the world for three games in the UK this month. We hope you can join us at the events, tune in to the live stream from the Hampstead game, or follow our social media updates #FairBreaker.

All games are free to attend and you can meet the FairBreak XI after each game.

July 23 v KENT Invitational X1 at Hayes Cricket Club, Bromley KENT

Hayes (Kent) Cricket Club, Barnet Wood Road, Hayes, Bromley
10:30am start
40 over per side

July 25 v Sir Paul Getty XI at Wormsley

Wormsley, Stokenchurch, Buckinghamshire
2.30pm start
T20 match

July 29 v MCC at UCS Hampstead and Live Streamed

University College School, Hampstead Heath
11.00am start
Two T20 matches

FairBreak XI

Coach: Khyati Gulani, India

Coach/Manager: Saba Nasim, England

Alex Blackwell, Australia

Stephanie Frohnmayer, Germany

Sana Mir, Pakistan

Sterre Kalis, Netherlands

Mariko Hill, Hong Kong

Laura Mophakedi, Botswana

Kathryn Bryce, Scotland

Shameelah Mosweu, Botswana

Laura Delaney, Ireland

Ruchitha Venkatesh, Hong Kong

Akanksha Kohli, India

Chelsey Rowson, England

Grace Scrivens, England

Ryanna Macdonald-Gay, England

Elle Williams2019-07-21T11:44:29-04:00July 21st, 2019|News|

FairBreak XI to play in the UK this July 2019

– Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Founder

The FairBreak XI will arrive in the UK in a couple of weeks to play four exhibition games supporting our Gender Equality program and our CSR partner, SolarBuddy.

What has been amazing and so pleasing is the reaction to our team announcement from supporters around the world.

Our team brings together 14 players from 10 countries:

Alex Blackwell, Australia
Sana Mir, Pakistan
Mariko Hill, Hong Kong
Kathryn Bryce, Scotland
Akanksha Kohli, India
Stephanie Fronhmayer, Germany
Ryana Macdonald-Gay, England
Sterre Kalis, Netherlands
Laura Mophakedi, Botswana
Shameelah Mosweu, Botswana
Ruchitha Venkatesh, Hong Kong
Chelsey Rowson, England
Grace Scrivens, England
Celeste Raack, Ireland

All these players are exceptional and, apart from Alex Blackwell and Sana Mir, these athletes are not household names, but they should be. For example, Sterre Kalis from the Netherlands has lifted her profile after equaling the world record for a T2O innings in women’s cricket scoring 126 (not out) from 76 balls. Incredible.

All of the players from associate nations desperately need more available cricket games and tournaments, and more financial resources.

What we strive for at FairBreak is greater recognition for these players. The 14 women taking part in this year’s UK program not only get to share their cricketing expertise, but also their life experience with one another and supporters. Cricket is a wonderfully inclusive game.

It would be ideal if next year’s World T20 women’s tournament had more than 10 countries participating. There are 16 men’s teams playing, but sadly only 10 women’s team. It would be helpful to understand the thinking behind this.

It can’t be financial. There is plenty of money in the coffers of cricket’s governing bodies. It’s not a gender equality issue because that has been disregarded completely.

So, we’d like to understand the reasoning.

Opportunity drives development, learning, inclusiveness and success.

What a fantastic tournament it would be if six additional nations were added to the women’s program.

What a superb opportunity to grow the game, demonstrate equality and celebrate the great programs running in all corners of the globe.

In very simple, humble terms, that is what we seek to do by continuing to bring players together from everywhere, and provide opportunity.

Join us in becoming a #FairBreaker. Connect with us on our social channels for news from the players and FairBreak team.

Elle Williams2019-07-08T08:25:46-04:00July 8th, 2019|News|

Women’s World T20, 2020. A numbers game.

Shaun Martyn, Founder of FairBreak Global

I have taken great interest in the announcement surrounding the Women’s and Men’s T20 World Cups to be held in Australia in 2020.

What a great opportunity for the game.

When you look at early advertising and the make up of the competitions it raises a few questions.

Although it might be commendable to try and set a crowd record for a women’s sporting event, is that where effort and attention is best spent?

It was obvious at the end of the World Cup in 2018 that the gap between the top 2 or 3 nations and the rest of the world has increased, not decreased.

It may be a bold prediction but I would expect the women’s final at the MCG on March 8, 2020 will be contested between Australia and England. They are so far ahead of the rest of the pack it’s daylight third. If this is the case for the foreseeable future, what plans are in place to close the gap?

The men’s competition will be fought out between 16 teams. The women’s competition has only 10 teams. Why?

Can we please have parity??

If the women’s game is constantly presented as less valuable by the ICC and Cricket Boards then we will never achieve parity.

We saw this only last month in Australia when the WBBL final was played at 10.00am on a Saturday morning at a suburban Sydney ground.

CA erred massively here, again presenting women’s cricket as a less valuable, inferior product.

If you consistently signal that your product lacks value, how can you hope to break records?

There needs to be a massive reset.

We know that women’s cricket attracts a huge audience globally. 126 million viewers (ICC figures) watched England play India at Lords in 2017. That’s an enormous amount of advertising revenue.

Cost, therefore, can’t be a factor in only having 10 womens teams in the T20 World Cup.

How much money does each team receive for qualifying for the world cup?

Is it equal for both the men’s and women’s teams?

Hypothetically, if teams from Botswana, Thailand, USA, China, PNG, UAE, Holland, Vanuatu etc. qualified to make up 16 women’s teams, then that would be one step towards parity.

An injection of $500K US into the women’s programs in each of the 16 qualifying nations would move the women’s game forward in a very positive manner. The money is there.

Is there the will to drive towards parity and serious development of the women’s game, or is still a case of paying ‘lip service’?

Elle Williams2019-02-04T02:17:38-05:00February 4th, 2019|News|

If not pay parity then at least parity of esteem please!

Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Founder

Firstly, let me congratulate the Brisbane Heat for their victory in the WBBL. Let me also congratulate all players from all teams that took part in WBBL 2018/19. Women’s cricket in Australia has really become the shining light in the game.

The distressing piece for me is that the final of this remarkable competition was played at 10.00am on a Saturday morning to accommodate the broadcast of a Day/Night (men’s) Test match.

Usually the only thing on TV at 10.00am are cartoons, or while some parents are getting children to Saturday sport many adults are heading to their own sport or shopping, or engaged in the myriad of tasks that fill most Saturday mornings in Australia.

Can someone explain to me why this WBBL final could not have been played on Saturday evening at North Sydney Oval? A ground that has become the spiritual home of women’s cricket.

There are numerous public transport options, it’s the right size, has considerable history and a 7.00pm match start time acknowledges the quality and esteem this game and the players participating should be afforded.

The fact that there is a Day/Night Test match on at the same time is irrelevant.

In fact, there would be many viewers who may prefer to watch a WBBL final. Is that something that CA and the broadcaster don’t want to risk? Would the comparison of viewing numbers reflect a significant change in the value of the two products?

In future, I hope due consideration is given to the schedule so there is parity of esteem even though we are still a long way short of parity of pay.

Elle Williams2022-04-29T15:30:58-04:00January 28th, 2019|News|

Mind the gap

– Shaun Martyn, FairBreak Global founder

First of all, big congratulations to the Australian Women’s Cricket Team for winning the WT20 on the weekend.

A completely professional performance.

The big takeaway from the whole World Cup is that the gap between Australi

a, England and India, and the rest of the world has grown larger, not smaller.

There is a lift in overall standard of play, however that has not closed the gap in relative terms.

I was interested to hear Melinda Farrell from ESPN interviewed from the West Indies and hear her say exactly the same thing.

This is an opinion shared by many.

Australian and English players are better funded and supported and, consequently, are ahead of India and a long way ahead of everyone else.

The opportunity that the WBBL and Kia Super League has provided has meant there is more frequent, high level cricket played in both countries.

In Australia, that extends to the state system as well, where players can have their income supplemented. This allows them to train, play and commit to the sport for a longer period of time.

If there are not more opportunities created and more funding provided globally, I believe we will see a drop off in participation rates around the world.

I also refer you to the interview on Twitter with Ireland Captain, Laura Delaney, after their defeat by Pakistan, and the subsequent follow up from Mariko Hill and others about the vital role FairBreak plays in creating opportunities.

Ireland has now had four players retire after the tournament in the West Indies. Most of the players have had to take over 60 days leave from work in order to represent their country and it is no longer sustainable for them to continue.

Apart from their attitude and commitment, they are not ‘professional’ in any way.

Ireland, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh for example, need to be playing against each other regularly and being paid a real ‘living’ wage in order to do that.

It’s not a level playing field.

Expectation of professionalism is one thing. Real funding and remuneration for full time professionalism is another. And that what is required if we want a real World Cup.

Elle Williams2018-11-27T10:05:44-05:00November 27th, 2018|News|

Australian cricket: ‘In my office now, boys!’ – Shaun Martyn on the current state of play

In 1984 England were getting smashed by the West Indies and everyone was looking for England and their leadership to make excuses for performance. England captain David Gower on being interviewed during the series said, “It is a Test match. It’s not Old Reptonians v Lymeswold, one off the mark and jolly good show. You are not expecting life to be made easy for you.”

If only that attitude prevailed at the moment in Australian cricket.
Gower was not looking for excuses; he and his players would deal with the problems and be judged on how they handled themselves. In reflecting on the release of the Longstaff review and the fallout from it, things just have to change.

The Chairman’s position has now become completely untenable and he has resigned. Unsurprising when you profess to have good governance and at the same time orchestrate your reinstatement prior to a review being released. Laughable!

The whole credibility of the board has been in question. Appointing someone from the current board as Chairman is also impossible from a governance perspective. This board has presided over this mess.

What equally amazes me is that the State CEO’s have the ability to start the process of fixing this mess. Why don’t they?

They seem to be complicit in condoning the behaviour called out by Longstaff.

I think it speaks volumes for the leadership in cricket across the board.

When you have organisations that are not accountable they can do whatever they like. There is no accountability! I was disgusted by the responses by the CA Chairman on the ABC’s 7.30 Report when his notion of accountability was that CA had voluntarily instigated a review into what is now being referred to as a “hiccup” in South Africa.

That “hiccup” reference said it all. It demonstrated mammoth incompetence and a complete and total lack of understanding of the game, its relevance, its history or its future.

As a result of the Chairman’s resignation it may now be possible for Kevin Roberts, the new CEO at CA to make some headway. It will depend on how the board reacts and the appointment of the new Chairman.

In my one brief exchange with Kevin Roberts I found him to be very open and thoughtful. He has a huge task and needs clean air.

The ACA are not adding anything positive to the debate at the moment either.

Regardless of whether you think the bans on Smith, Warner and Bancroft are too harsh or not, they are there and need to be served. Banging on about lifting the bans just alienates more of the public and reinforces the widely held view that the male players are indulged.

Grown men conspired to cheat in an environment that encouraged it and then lied about it. Fact. If there were older and wiser heads in that dressing room in South Africa it would never have happened. The fact that the coaching and management staff is still largely in place also speaks to the integrity of the whole set up.

We have seen this week the ACA publicly setting up another adversarial situation.
If the Australian team was performing better at the moment lifting bans wouldn’t even be spoken about.

The ACA have sought far too much media attention in this. They should be working quietly, negotiating responsibly, and with the best interest of the fans, the players and the game.

Cricket is a game of partnerships and good partnerships are built with trust, time, consistency and leaving your ego at the door or in the dressing room.

At the moment it feels like both CA and the ACA should be called into the headmasters office and suspended until they come back, with their parents, to be told by David Gower to start acting responsibly both in class and in the playground!

Elle Williams2018-11-01T10:34:47-04:00November 1st, 2018|News|