Rwanda stun Zimbabwe in Under-19 Women’s World Cup upset

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Rwanda Under-19 Women – 119-8 in 20 overs (Gisele Ishimwe 34, Cynthia Tuyizere 30, Merveille Uwase 18; Chipo Moyo 3/22, Kudzai Chigora 2/21, Tawananyasha Marumani 1/12)

Zimbabwe Under-19 Women – 80 all out in 18.4 overs (Natasha Mtomba 20, Kelly Ndiraya 20, Adel Zimunu 11; Henriette Ishimwe 4/13, Zurufat Ishimwe 2/27, Geovanis Uwase 1/3)

 

Rwanda Under-19 Women won by 39 runs 

Henriette Ishimwe claimed four wickets in as many balls as Rwanda Under-19 Women inflicted a shocking 39-run defeat on Zimbabwe Under-19 Women at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 in South Africa on Tuesday.

 

The match – the second for both teams in Group B which also includes England and Pakistan – was played at the North-West University in Potchefstroom.

 

After Zimbabwe won the toss and opted to field, Rwanda surprisingly enjoyed an encouraging start with the bat as their opening pair of Cynthia Tuyizere and Merveille Uwase cantered to 49 in 10.4 overs.

 

Uwase was the first to fall, bowled out by Tawananyasha Marumani for 18 off 33 balls.

 

Despite getting that breakthrough, the Zimbabwe bowlers were to continue toiling without further success until the 16th over when Tuyizere was run out for 30, scored off 44 deliveries with two boundaries – 88 for two.

 

Rwanda added a rapid 15 runs before their captain, Gisele Ishimwe, perished in the next over after blasting five fours on her way to an aggressive 34 off only 23 balls, Olinder Chare completing a catch off the bowling of Kudzai Chigora.

 

The remaining three overs saw Zimbabwe grabbing five wickets – three of them being golden ducks – for 16 runs before the innings closed at 119 for eight.

 

Chipo Moyo was the pick of the bowlers, with three for 22, including two scalps off successive balls in the final over, as Rwanda scrambled for late runs.

 

Needing 120 at six runs an over to win, Zimbabwe lost Kay Ndiraya in the second over, caught at the wicket after hitting a boundary off eight balls – 11 for one.

 

Natasha Mtomba however gave them some hope with a fluent 20, scored off 25 deliveries with two fours, before she was bowled to make it 37 for two in exactly nine overs.

 

The captain, Kelis Ndhlovu, again struggled to get going and when she was caught behind in the 13th over, she had managed only seven runs off 11 balls – 60 for three.

 

In the following over, with only two more runs added to the total, Kelly Ndiraya departed for 20, which came off 38 deliveries and contained three fours.

 

At that stage, 58 runs were now required off 37 deliveries with seven wickets in hand.

 

The required run rate however kept rising and when Adel Zimunu was dismissed for 11 to leave her side reeling at 80 for six after 17.5 overs, the death knell chimed.

 

Rwanda indeed went for the kill, Zimbabwe failing to add to their total as Henriette Ishimwe wiped out the tail in the penultimate over, taking four wickets off four consecutive balls, to seal a historic victory for the east African team.

 

SOURCE: ZIMBABWE CRICKET