England stars confirmed for Fairbreak Invitational 2022

The Suzie Bates-captained Falcons have enlisted Danni Wyatt, while Sophie Ecclestone and Sophia Dunkley have signed up for Spirit ahead of the six-team competition

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Three England players have been confirmed to participate in the Fairbreak Invitational T20 tournament in Dubai starting next week.

Sophie Ecclestone and Sophia Dunkley have been signed up for the Spirit team, which will be led by Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof and also includes the previously confirmed Sarah Bryce of Scotland.

Danni Wyatt, meanwhile, will represent Falcons who are skippered by New Zealand's Suzie Bates and will also be able to call upon Marizanne Kapp.

The six-team, 19-match event is due to be held between May 1-15 in conjunction with Cricket Hong Kong, and it is the first privately-run major short-form women’s tournament.

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Ecclestone will represent Spirit (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Cricketer reported in February that five ECB-contracted players had been invited by the organisers to play in a competition that clashes with the start of the Charlotte Edwards Cup.

North West Thunder, South East Stars and Southern Vipers will therefore each be without central figures for at least the opening round of the fixtures.

Four of the six squads for the Fairbreak T20 have been announced, with two sets of players scheduled to follow.

Stafanie Taylor, Sophie Devine, Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin and Nicola Carey are among the other global stars set to feature.

Fairbreak chief Shaun Martyn, former Australia captain Alex Blackwell and ex-fast bowler Geoff Lawson have assisted in compiling the squads.

Charlotte Edwards and Lydia Greenway will also appear as coaches.

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Charlotte Edwards and Lydia Greenway will act as coaches (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Equality in opportunity and pay are central to Fairbreak's ethos and therefore are key themes of the competition, which is the latest addition to an increasingly busy women's calendar.

Blackwell told The Cricketer: "I think this tournament could be a real spark for several of the big players around the world, who tend to meet and play against the same people.

"FairBreak is all about creating opportunities for women’s cricketers that are not there at the moment but should be. Women’s cricket is a commercially viable product, so you just need the motivation."

Women's cricket will also debut at the Commonwealth Games this summer in Birmingham, before the return of The Hundred and an eighth WBBL.

The three-team T20 Challenge, the BCCI's weak female offering during the Indian Premier League, is set for its fourth edition from May 24-28.


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