Is new women’s T20 tournament in Dubai a sign of progress or a threat?

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“The ICC and its members do not recognise privately owned tournaments or leagues in the men’s or women’s game. Any Twenty20 tournament that features the best players in the world outside ICC competitions would need to be run and controlled by one of the full members, as opposed to by a private operator.” That was the England and Wales Cricket Board’s view, as expressed by Clare Connor, in response to the radical idea of an independent women’s T20 league proposed by the Australian businessman Shaun Martyn in 2014.

Eight years later, five England players are taking part in just such a private competition – the FairBreak Invitational, run by Martyn’s company FairBreak Global Ltd. The tournament started last week and is taking place in Dubai until 15 May, contested by six teams, and – uniquely – featuring players from 35 different nations (including Rwanda, Bhutan, and Vanuatu). A nice touch, epitomising the tournament’s distinctive philosophy, is that instead of numbers on the back of their shirts, players have their national flag.

Five of them are sporting St George’s crosses – Sophie Ecclestone, Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Tash Farrant and – significantly – the England captain, Heather Knight. Knight’s inclusion appears to signal the ultimate seal of approval from the ECB – a board that in 2014 banned its players from competing in such an endeavour. Somehow, in the eight years since Connor unequivocally rejected it, Martyn’s vision has gained official sanction from the ECB and International Cricket Council alike.

It has not been