Photo Credit: Cricket Netherlands
Sterre Kalis and Babette de Leede have played the first Fairbreak Invitational tournament in recent weeks. This tournament was set up by the FairBreak organization to give women from all over the world equal opportunities through cricket, something FairBreak has made a mission of. The Sterre Kalis team, the Tornadoes, took home the trophy. The South Coast Sapphires and Babette de Leede were unable to qualify for the knockout stage, but De Leede did not let that stop them from setting a world record number of stumpings in a T20 match!
Babette de Leede: “Learned about cricket on and off the field”
“If I had to describe the Fairbreak tournament in one sentence, I would say that it is an unforgettable experience and a great opportunity for associate players. With Sana Mir as captain and Elyse Villani as vice captain, I have not only learned a lot on the field about tactics and field placements, but also analyzing the opponents off the field and making a game plan.
We started the tournament with four training days to get used to the weather (38 degrees!) and to each other. Most of us had never met, but our shared passion for cricket quickly created a sense of team. 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 particularly encouraged to play sports.
The matches were in the Dubai stadium and were televised all over the world! We won two out of five games. Unfortunately that was not enough to qualify us for the semi-finals, but personally I had a good tournament. I started with 24 runs from 14 balls and finished with 45 runs and a world record number of stumpings in a T20. In addition to the training sessions and competitions, there was also time to discover 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’m super happy about this great opportunity to play cricket at a high level and hope it is a big step to professionalize associate cricket.”
Tournament stats Babette de Leede
Babette finished No. 22 for most runs and No. 1 for most dismissals in 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
Sterre Kalis: “Learned a lot, had fun and won!”
After a few days back from Dubai, I look back on the past two weeks with a very positive feeling. Personally I have had 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 match. I learned a lot from everyone around me both on and off the field.
I have had the opportunity to open the batting every game with Sophie Devine, one of the best players in the world. We’ve had a partnership over 50 almost every match so I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with her in the middle. We discussed a lot of game scenarios, tactics and had a lot of fun too. 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 had won this thriller of a match that was decided in the last one and the big final was held the very next day. We also won this game, against the Falcons, in the last over! We had won the tournament!
That has been one of my highlights this week. To be finally chosen in the “Team of the Tournament” based on my achievements is something I am very proud of and hopefully this will open a lot of new doors for me!
Tournament stats Sterre Kalis
Sterre finished at No. 4 for most runs of the tournament
Sterre Kalis | 7 Matches | 225 Runs | 2 x 50 runs | 1 x Player of the Match
Tribute from KNCB
The KNCB would like to congratulate both ladies with the results achieved. Their selection for this tournament was already a huge honour, but both Babette and Sterre have shown that they more than deserved these selections and have both left an indelible impression in Dubai.
About the FairBreak Invitational tournament
FairBreak is an international organization dedicated to “creating opportunities that promote gender equality worldwide, with cricket as the greatest resource.” This tournament is the first privately-funded tournament in women’s cricket history.
