Nigeria dethrones Rwanda by nine runs

Nigeria, yesterday, at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval defeated defending champions, Rwanda, by nine runs to win the third Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) Women’s T20i Invitational tournament.

The match was a repeat of last year’s final game, which the Rwandans won. But yesterday was different in many aspects, as the East African giants met a more mature and determined Nigerian team eager to impress their sponsors.

Nigeria won the toss and elected to bat first, leading to a hard-fought first inning with 99 runs on board.

Led by the impressive Salome Sunday 48 (58) and Piety Lucky 11 (17), Nigeria raced through the inning for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs.

The second innings meant Nigeria had to defend the total with a good fielding strategy.

Rwanda came on to bat with Gisele Ishimwe 31 (48) and captain Diane Biemenyimana 15 (19) contributing to the score of the side, as Nigeria’s Lucky and Rachael Samson did the most damage to the East African team, claiming three wickets each.

The defending champions had to manage 90 runs for the loss of nine wickets.

Speaking after the game, NCF President, Uyi Akpata, said the victory is a welcome development and good feedback on the Federation’s investments in cricket development.

“First of all, this win is not for the team; it is a win for all. The effort being put in by passionate cricketers to support the board, the dedication of the players, the encouragement from the honorable minister, and most of all, the sponsors that are keying into our vision. This is a win for all.”

The NCF Women’s T20i Invitational tournament is a yearly event on the Federation’s calendar. This year’s edition featured Ghana, Cameroun, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and host Nigeria.

Akpata said that staging the event has done a lot for the growth of the game in the country, including helping the national team rise on the T20i global ranking to 29 from 38 four years ago.

“We have better facilities now. We now have seven turf crickets from zero about four years ago,” he added.

He also said the NCF has grown a better relationship with corporate Nigeria, adding that a number of its staff has developed requisite capacities essential for hosting and managing events of this nature.