Rwanda’s dream of lifting the 2026 Kwibuka Girls’s T20I Event trophy on house soil led to heartbreak on Saturday after a dramatic one-run defeat to Zimbabwe within the ultimate at Gahanga Worldwide Cricket Stadium.
After profitable the toss, Zimbabwe posted 126/5 from their 20 overs, thanks largely to a composed knock from Runyararo Pasipanodya, who scored 45 off 35 balls to earn Participant of the Match honours. She was nicely supported by Lorraine Pemhiwa, who made 31 from 26 deliveries, whereas captain Adel Zimunu added 20 off 32 balls.
Rwanda struggled to make early breakthroughs with the ball, however captain Diane Bimenyimana produced an outstanding spell, claiming 5 wickets for 28 runs to maintain the hosts firmly in competition.
Chasing 127 for victory, Rwanda got here beneath stress early earlier than Henriette Ishimwe launched a sensational counterattack. The all-rounder smashed 60 runs from simply 30 balls, together with six towering sixes, swinging momentum again in Rwanda’s favour and igniting the house crowd.
She obtained assist from Fanny Utagushimaninde, who contributed 15 runs off 18 balls, however Zimbabwe HPC continued to strike at essential moments and finally held their nerve to limit Rwanda to 125/8, sealing victory by the narrowest of margins.
The triumph capped a exceptional marketing campaign for Zimbabwe HPC, who had additionally crushed Rwanda within the match opener earlier than returning to disclaim the hosts within the ultimate.
After the match, Zimbabwe HPC batter Lorraine Pemhiwa mirrored on the crew’s achievement.
“It feels actually good to have contributed to the crew’s victory. It was an enormous effort from everybody. We supported one another from the start, and it’s an awesome feeling to complete as champions.”
Pemhiwa mentioned the title was a reward for the exhausting work the crew invested all through the match.
“We labored exhausting from day one. We misplaced a number of matches alongside the way in which, however we got here again stronger each time. We gave all the pieces we had, and ultimately it paid off.”
For Rwanda, the defeat was painful, however head coach Leonard Nhamburo mentioned he was happy with the character proven by his gamers.
“Shedding by one run is all the time troublesome, particularly in a ultimate. It hurts. However in case you take a look at how they fought, they fought very nicely.”
Nhamburo praised his aspect’s resilience all through the match and highlighted the preventing spirit they displayed within the ultimate.
“That’s one thing we labored on all through the match—competing in shut video games, by no means shedding hope and having gamers step up for the crew. Right this moment’s efficiency was top-class, although we didn’t win the trophy.”
The coach additionally singled out Henriette Ishimwe’s match-changing innings.
“There was all the time hope that she might ship, and he or she did. She introduced us very near victory. If she wasn’t there at this time, it could have been a very completely different sport.”
Reflecting on Rwanda’s total marketing campaign, Nhamburo highlighted the crew’s enchancment with the bat.
“In nearly each match, we scored greater than 100 runs. We posted 179, 147, 134, 131 and one other sturdy complete within the ultimate. That’s a serious optimistic for us.”
Nevertheless, he acknowledged there have been classes to take from the match.
“Our center order collapsed too shortly at instances. We misplaced wickets in clusters, and that’s one thing we have to repair. We want stronger partnerships within the center overs going ahead.”
Regardless of the frustration, Rwanda can take satisfaction in reaching the ultimate after a powerful marketing campaign that included victories over Malawi, Nigeria and Brazil.
The hosts completed as runners-up, whereas Zimbabwe HPC lifted the 2026 Kwibuka Girls’s T20I Event trophy following some of the dramatic finals within the competitors’s historical past.
