Pakistan stars Bismah Maroof and Sana Mir confirmed for new women's tournament in Dubai

Some of the leading players from Pakistan will feature in a new women’s tournament in Dubai next month after they were granted permission by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Bismah Maroof, Pakistan’s captain and a veteran of over 200 international matches, leads a contingent of five players from the country heading to the UAE.

Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana and former captain Sana Mir have also been given no objection certificates to play in the first FairBreak Invitational.

The tournament will start on May 4 at the Dubai International Stadium, with many of the leading players in the world set to feature.

It is set to involve 90 players from 36 countries. Forty of the players are from full Test-playing nations, with the rest coming from destinations as diverse as Bhutan, Vanuatu, Germany, as well as the group of players from the UAE.

The players will be divided into six teams, which will bear the names of the corporate brands they are representing.

Mir will lead South Coast Sapphires while Sana will represent the Barmy Army team. Riaz and Baig will play for the Tornadoes, alongside West Indies great Stafanie Taylor and New Zealand’s Suzie Bates.

Four UAE players are also confirmed for the competition, with a number of others also on standby.

Chaya Mughal, the UAE captain, and Theertha Satish will be playing, while Kavisha Kumari, the allrounder, will feature for the Barmy Army.

Big-hitting batter Esha Oza will be a teammate of the likes of Hayley Matthews and Mignon du Preez with the Warriors.

The competition is run under the auspices of Hong Kong Cricket, and had been due to be played in Kowloon. However, the logistics of Covid quarantine in Hong Kong have led the organisers to look to stage the event in Dubai Sports City instead.