Namibia’s senior women’s cricket team vice-captain, Yasmeen Khan has been selected as one of the world’s top female cricketers to participate in this year’s FairBreak Invitational tournament in Dubai.
The FairBreak Invitational tournament is an ICC-sanctioned competition that will take place from 1 to 15 May in Dubai. The ICC in conjunction with Cricket Hong Kong will host the tournament.
This six-team tournament is made up of top players from all around the world, and will be the world’s first privately funded tournament in women’s cricket history, with the leading healthcare group Gencor as the lead sponsor.
Cricket Namibia yesterday confirmed Khan’s drafting into the 2022 FairBreak Invitational tournament, and congratulated her for making the country and national team proud with her consistent exploits on and off the pitch.
The 2022 FairBreak Invitational tournament organisers also posted Khan’s drafting in the competition’s social media platforms, saying: “We’re pleased to announce that leading Namibian player Yasmeen Khan has been contracted for the FairBreak Invitational 2022. Yasmeen is the Namibian vice-captain and an outstanding keeper/batter”.
Khan (23) made her Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) debut for Namibia against Malawi during the 2018 Botswana Cricket Association Women’s T20I Series.
She has since gone on to represent the country at various major competitions, such as the 2019 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Scotland and at the 2021 Kwibuka Women’s T20 tournament in Rwanda.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, Khan was named in the team of the tournament, selected by the Rwanda Cricket Association.
Some of the world’s top female cricketers that have also been contracted to this year’s FairBreak Invitational tournament are Yasmin Daswani of Hong Kong, Maryam Omar of Kuwait, Nepal’s Rana Magar, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, Gunjan Shukla of Sweden and Rwanda’s Henriette Ishimwe; among others.
Originally founded in 2013 under the name Women’s International Cricket League, FairBreak Invitational was created to be a standalone tournament for women to advance their opportunities and remuneration in cricket.
The movement has since morphed to tackle systemic barriers and gender equality on a truly global scale by using cricket as a transformational tool.
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na