Looking back on Fairbreak tournament: "Through our shared passion, we quickly formed a team"

"If I had to describe the Fairbreak tournament in one sentence I would say it was an unforgettable experience and a great opportunity for associate players. With Sana Mir as captain and Elyse Villani as vice-captain, I not only learned a lot on the field about tactics and field placements, but also off the field about analyzing opponents and making a game plan.

We started the tournament with four days of training to get used to the weather (38 degrees!) and to each other. Most of us had never met before, but our shared passion for cricket quickly created team spirit. It was very interesting to hear stories about other cultures, for example the super professional cricket culture in Australia versus the culture in some Asian countries where women are not exactly encouraged to play sports.

The matches were at the Dubai stadium and were televised all over the world! We won two of the five matches. Unfortunately, that was not enough to qualify for the semi-finals, but personally I had a good tournament. I started with 24 runs off 14 balls and finished with 45 runs and a world record number of stumpings in a T20. Besides the training and matches, there was also time to explore Dubai and get to know your team better: we went on a desert safari, to the Global Village, the Atlantis water park and to the Dubai Mall.

I am super happy with this great opportunity to play cricket at a high level and hope that this is a big step to professionalize associate cricket."

Babette finished #22 for most runs and #1 for most dismissals at the tournament!

Babette de Leede | 5 Matches | 85 Runs | 8 Dismissals (1 Catch & 7 Stumpings, including the world record of 5 stumpings in an innings) | 1 x Player of the Match

"After a few days back from Dubai, I look back on the past two weeks with a very positive feeling. Personally, I have achieved good results. I finished in the top 5 most runs of the tournament including 2x 50+, 2x 40+ and a 'Player of the Match'-award in the first game. I learned an awful lot from everyone around me both on and off the field.

I got to open the batting every game with Sophie Devine, one of the best players in the world. We had a partnership of over 50 almost every game so I was able to spend a lot of time with her in the middle. We discussed a lot of match scenarios, tactics and also had a lot of fun. After the last group match, which we had to win, we finished in third place and played the semi-finals against the number two: The Barmy Army. We won this thriller of a match that was decided in the last over and the next day was the big final. This game, against the Falcons, we again won in the very last over! We had won the tournament!

That has been one of my highlights these weeks. To also have been chosen in the "Team of the Tournament" based on my performance is something I am very proud of and hopefully this will open a lot of new doors for me!"

Sterre finished at #4 for most runs in the tournament

Sterre Kalis | 7 Matches | 225 Runs | 2 x 50 runs | 1 x Player of the Match

The KNCB would like to congratulate both ladies with their results. Their selection for this tournament was already a huge honor, but both Babette and Sterre showed that they more than deserved these selections and both left an indelible impression in Dubai.

FairBreak is an international organization focused on "creating opportunities that promote gender equality worldwide, with cricket as its greatest tool." This tournament is the first privately-funded tournament in the history of women's cricket.