The USA is set to host an additional edition of the FairBreak Global Invitational T20 in 2023, and the tournament - which features women's cricketers from around the world - will be held twice a year going forward.
The first season took place in collaboration with Cricket Hong Kong in Dubai in May 2022 and the second is scheduled to be held from April 3 to 16 this year in Hong Kong. Now, there will be another round of the tournament in September as well, in the USA.
The tournament, fully sanctioned by the ICC, brought together some of the top women's T20 cricketers in a six-team event last year.
"By working collaboratively, FairBreak and USA Cricket are supporting gender equity and the advancement of women's and girl's cricket globally," a statement from USA Cricket said.
The tournament in the USA will be held from September 15 to 30 in Houston, Texas. Six teams will again come together for the two events this year and matches are set to be broadcast internationally. USA Cricket anticipates that up to 12 of their top players will participate in September, compared to the six that played last year.
"We could not be more pleased to collaborate with FairBreak, and to showcase an event here in the USA," newly appointed interim CEO of USA Cricket Vinay Bhimjiani said. "I have been working closely with FairBreak founder, Shaun Martyn, and we both agree this will be an outstanding tournament for cricket fans of all ages, genders and nationalities to enjoy!"
Martyn said the tournament will provide a "truly global platform" to develop the game and change the lives of many participating players. "It is exciting for everyone involved. We have known for some time that both Asia and the Americas are key growth markets for women's cricket. With the right level of corporate support and expanding involvement from broadcasters, we have another avenue to enrich the skills and experience of female cricketers. More significantly, the potential for positive social impact across multiple communities cannot be underestimated."
WPL, Women's U-19 World Cup, and much more - breakthrough year for women's cricket?
The second season of the FairBreak Invitational was earlier moved from March to April this year because of the Women's Premier League (WPL) - the inaugural women's IPL - that's going to be played in India in March.
With the inaugural Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup currently underway, followed soon after by the senior women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, the WPL and two FairBreak Invitational T20 tournaments, 2023 could be a landmark year for the growth of women's cricket. There are also the women's Hundred, the women's CPL and the WBBL scheduled for the second half of the year.
The inaugural edition of the FairBreak Invitational T20 had 90 players from 35 countries, divided into six teams, though no player from India took part, since the BCCI didn't grant them no-objection certificates.