After announcing his retirement from international Cricket, former captain of the men’s national cricket team Eric Hirwa Dusabemungu has revealed that he is going into coaching.
The 33-year old’s retirement was announced on Sunday, July 26, by the Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA) after representing the country for the past 14 years.
Speaking to Times Sport on Monday, the veteran cricketer said that he knew for a long time that he would announce his retirement in 2020 to give younger Cricket players a chance to shine.
"I have been playing in the national team with young players that I used to mentor. I now want to focus on building a coaching career, which I actually have already started,” he said.
"I have been doing my best as a cricket player and part-time coach, this is the right moment to retire from playing so I can give ample time to my coaching career, produce more talents and give them a platform to shine.”
He added: "The future is bright for Rwanda cricket, and I want to be part of the journey. I look forward to contributing to the development of the sport, particularly in women’s cricket. I want to see new talents growing and thriving more than I was ever able to.”
Dusabemungu was one of the two homegrown cricketers who joined the national team in 2006, alongside Andre Kayitera.
He was part of the team that qualified for and competed at the 2011 African Division 2 Cricket tournament in Ghana.
A celebrated bowler and one of the most consistent cricketers Rwanda has ever produced, Dusabemungu was recognised as the best bowler of the tournament during the Division Two tournament held in South Africa, in 2014.
He became the national team skipper in 2018 after inheriting the captaincy from Eric Dusingizimana who is currently serving as the general manager of the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium.
During his leadership, Dusabemungu captained Rwanda through the Regional World T20 Africa ‘B’ Qualifiers staged at Gahanga Cricket Oval in 2018.
He was in charge of the girls’ national team during the 2016 Kwibuka Cricket tournament before taking over the U-19 girls’ national team that competed in a WT20 tournament held in Kenya in 2018.
Dusabemungu runs a cricket academy for girls at Ndera Cricket Hub, in Gasabo District.