UAE's Theertha Satish enjoys 'family feeling' at FairBreak Invitational

When Theertha Satish and her UAE national teammates met up with their FairBreak Invitational colleagues this month, she said it was like reuniting with family.

The 18-year-old wicketkeeper batter is one of four UAE representatives at the T20 tournament in Hong Kong.

She is turning out for the Falcons, who she debuted for when the inaugural FairBreak competition was staged in Dubai last year because of Covid-19 related travel restrictions in Hong Kong.

Despite that being only a relatively fleeting experience, she says the players forged a strong bond.

“Everyone stayed in touch throughout the year,” said Theertha, who captained UAE at the Under 19 World Cup earlier this year.

“We have all congratulated each other and wished each other best of luck for different tournaments. It has felt like you are reuniting with your family.

“Having been in the same team together last year, we definitely feel much closer this time around.

“It is not exactly the same as the UAE team, because we all see each other every day in the UAE. But it is definitely a family feeling.”

Theertha certainly found favour with her old friends as soon as they were reacquainted in Hong Kong.

In the opening game of the competition, she was named player of the match after a rapid half century earned them victory over the Tornadoes.

She was only overtaken as the leading runscorer in her side after Sri Lankan great Chamari Athapaththu’s match-winning 75 not out against Sapphires on Tuesday, four matches into their campaign.

UAE fast bowler Mahika Gaur represents team Spirit at the FairBreak Invitational in Hong Kong. Photo: FairBreak

“I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Theertha said of her opening day half-century. “I was just grateful for the opportunity that I