Rwanda defeated Zimbabwe to claim a famous victory on the fourth morning of the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2023, while New Zealand easily defeated Ireland.
Rwanda has won its first ICC World Cup.
Rwanda defeated Zimbabwe in a crucial match to increase their chances of reaching the tournament's Super Six stage.
Merveille Uwase (18 from 33 balls) and Cynthia Tuyizere (30 from 44 balls) shared a 49-run partnership as Rwanda focused on saving their wickets in the first ten overs. Gisele Ishimwe's aggressive knock (34 from 23) led them to a competitive total of 119/8.
Zimbabwe, coming off a string of poor batting performances, was immediately put under pressure by a disciplined Rwanda. The asking rate had risen to more than eight runs per over by the 12th over. Zimbabwe lost the plot after the composed Kelly Ndiraya (20 from 38) was caught by a brilliant diving catch from Sylvia Usabyimana. Henriette Ishimwe put an end to their misery with a stunning double hat-trick (4-13).
Ireland collapsed on a good batting wicket in the second match of the day, handing New Zealand an easy win.
Already weakened by the loss of skipper Amy Hunter due to an injury, Ireland's batters compounded their problem by losing four wickets, two of them to poor running between wickets, during the powerplay overs. The innings never recovered from this poor start, as they were out for 95 runs. Natasha Codyre (3-6) was chosen as New Zealand's best bowler.
The Kiwis pounced with the bat on a good strip to reach the target with 79 balls to spare. After losing both of their group games, Ireland will need to be at their best against Indonesia to advance to the next round of the tournament.