Rwanda’s women’s cricket team is showing no signs of slowing down as they defeated hosts Nigeria to secure a semifinal spot at the NCF Women’s Invitational T20i Tournament.
The victory marked Rwanda’s fourth consecutive win in the five-nation tournament, a confident stride toward reclaiming the title they lost to Nigeria in the previous edition.
Henriette Ishimwe starred for Rwanda, taking six wickets and leading her team’s dominant performance. Nigeria, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, struggled against the Rwandan attack.
Captain Lucky Piety was dismissed LBW in the opening over, followed quickly by Eguakun Omosigho and Salome Sunday, leaving Nigeria at a precarious 18 for three in just four overs.
The hosts battled to build partnerships but kept losing wickets at regular intervals, eventually being bowled out for 90 runs in 19.1 overs.
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Esther Sandy provided some resistance, finishing unbeaten at 36 off 31 balls.
Rwanda approached the chase with determination.
Despite losing early wickets, key contributions from Henriette Ishimwe (32 not out off 18 balls) and Clarisse Umutoniwase (17 off 26 balls) guided Rwanda to a six-wicket victory, reaching 93 for four in 15.4 overs. Other bowlers, including Belise Murekatete, Rosine Irera, Bimenyinmana Diane, and Alice Ikuzwe, supported Ishimwe with two wickets each, cementing an all-round performance.
The tournament resumed after a break and the successful hosting of the NCF Legacy programme, which introduced over 200 girls to cricket.
In other matches, South Africa defeated Zimbabwe in a high-scoring encounter that highlighted the readiness of both sides ahead of the ICC U-19 Women’s World Cup.
South Africa’s openers, Chanel Venter and Ashley Barnard, set a strong foundation before Zimbabwe fought back to claim a few wickets, ultimately falling short.
Rwanda now moves confidently into the semifinals, keeping their hopes alive of reclaiming the NCF Women’s T20i Invitational title.
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