Hayley Matthews’ all-round show helps Warriors Women win FairBreak Invitational Tournament 2023

FairBreak Invitational 2023. (Photo Source: Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

The final of the FairBreak Invitational Tournament 2023 was played on Sunday, April 16 at Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong. It was the second edition of the T20 tournament which is sanctioned by the ICC. Warriors Women and Falcons Women were up against each other in the summit clash of the tournament which featured 90 players from 28 countries divided into six teams.

The runners-up of the previous edition, Falcons won the toss and invited the table toppers Warriors to bat first. They didn’t get off to the best of the starts losing their opener Phoebe Litchfield in the third over of the innings. However, Hayley Matthews continued the attack from the other end and kept the run rate in check throughout the innings.

Matthews went on to play a breathtaking knock of 123 off 52 balls, clobbering 11 fours and nine sixes in her innings. Following her dismissal in the 15th over, Kathryn Bryce took the innings ahead with her sensational innings of 52* off 20 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes.

She was involved in an unbroken 75-run stand with captain Sindhu Sriharsha (25* off 18), stitched over just 35 deliveries.

Courtesy of their brilliant knocks, Warriors ended up posting a massive total of 230/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Anju Gurung was the pick of the bowlers for Falcons who picked up 2/43 in four overs. 

In reply, Falcons got off to a blazing start as Chamari Athapaththu and Danni Wyatt added 45 runs for the first wicket in 26 balls. However, both openers couldn’t convert their starts into big scores and were dismissed inside the powerplay.

Kathryn Bryce and Hayley Matthews picked up five wickets between them

Captain Suzie Bates and Theertha Satish tried to take the innings forward with their 44-run stand but couldn’t keep up with the required run rate which led to their dismissals. After the fall of their wickets, Falcons suffered a dramatic collapse and went from 106/4 after 13.3 overs to finish their innings on 137/8. 

Kathryn Bryce was the pick of the bowlers for Falcons as she registered figures of 3/16 in four overs while Hayley Matthews also picked up two wickets, giving away 14 runs in three overs. As a result, Warriors won the final by 94 runs and were crowned champions of the second edition of the tournament. Hayley Matthews was deservedly awarded Player of the Match for her valiant performances both with the bat and ball.