… as hosts Rwanda claim 3rd place
KENYA beat pre-tournament favourites Namibia by seven wickets to clinch the seventh edition of the Kwibuka Women’s Twenty20 International Tournament at Gahanga Stadium on Saturday evening in Kigali, Rwanda.
The 10-day event is played in memory of the victims of the 1994 Genocide Against The Tutsi.
Kenya’s victory was sweet revenge for the East Africa nation as they had lost to Namibia in their last three meetings at different International Cricket Council (ICC) events and more recently in the round-robin phase of this meet when the southern Africans triumphed by 36 runs.
Namibia captain Irene van Zyl won the toss and elected to bat, as has been the trend throughout the tournament.
The Eagles were bowled out for 69 runs in 15.5 overs as Kenya’s vice-captain Sarah Bhakita Wetoto bamboozled the Namibian batters with her spin to retain figures of six wickets for 16 runs.
After early jitters, Kenya made light work of Namibia’s score led by their captain Margaret Ngoche who remained unbeaten on 37 from 30 balls. As a result, Kenya won a record fourth Kwibuka Women’s Twenty20 title.
For her six wickets, Wetoto was duly named player of the match.
Hosts Rwanda won bronze after they saw off Nigeria by eight runs in a closely contested match.
Nigeria were looking to avenge their six-run preliminary round loss to the same team. Still, Lady Luck was not on their side from the onset when news filtered through that their inspirational captain Samantha Agazuma had failed a last-minute fitness test for the game.
The Rwandan pair of Gisele Ishimwe (39 runs off 40 balls) and Cathia Uwamahoro (35 runs not out off 30 balls) made hay to help their team set a formidable 112 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
Rwanda did not pick many early wickets but were largely a happy lot as they stifled the run chase with a sackful of dot balls. And late on, with the required run rate creeping into nine runs per over, Nigeria’s Abdulquadri Kehinde (31 runs off 50 balls) and Blessing Etim (25 runs off 32 balls) tried to hit out albeit fruitlessly, with the task at hand enormous.
In the end, Nigeria fell short by eight runs.
At the colourful awards ceremony held at the Gahanga Stadium, Botswana took the Fair Play Award, Kenya’s Abel (30 points) was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Tournament, Best Bowler’s Award was taken by Wetoto (17 wickets), Best Batter and Sixer was Namibia’s Sune Wittmann with 167 runs.
The individual award winners walked away with trophies and mobile phones.
Rwanda successfully hosted the first women’s tournament post Covid-19 disruption. The tournament had five teams, and Uganda, the sixth one, had opted out after some team members tested positive for Covid-19.
SCORES IN BRIEF
Final – Gold Match
Namibia 60 runs all out in 15.5 overs (S. Shihepo 16, K. Green 15; S.B Wetoto 6 for 16)
Kenya 72 runs for 3 wickets in 11 overs (M. B Ngoche 37, S. Juma 16; V.Hamunyela 1/4)
Kenya won by 7 wickets (with 54 balls remaining)
Third Place Playoff Final (Bronze Match)
Rwanda 112 runs for 5 wickets (G. Ishimwe 39, C. Uwamahoro 35*; R. Samson 1 for 14)
Nigeria 104 runs for 6 wickets (A. Kehinde 31, B. Etim 25; D.M Bimenyimana 2 for 21)
(Rwanda won by 8 runs)
TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
- Sune Wittmann (Namibia)
- Queentor Abel (Kenya)
- Yasmeen Khan (wicketkeeper – Namibia)
- Sarah Bhakita Wetoto (Kenya)
- Adri van der Merwe (Namibia)
- Margaret Banja Ngoche (captain – Kenya)
- Kayleen-Ann Green (Namibia)
- Amantle Mokgotlhe (Botswana)
- Blessing Etim (Nigeria)
- Henriette Ishimwe (Rwanda)
- Victoria Hamunyela (Namibia)
- Cathia Uwamahoro (Rwanda)
- Salome Sunday (Nigeria)
- Diane Marie Bimenyimana (Rwanda)
