Dusingizimana rounds off successful fundraising trip with Joe Root

From Trent Bridge to Kigali the sport of cricket united two batsmen on Monday as Joe Root posed for a picture and gave a pair of his batting gloves to the Rwanda captain, Eric Dusingizimana, at the end of his fundraising week in England. Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, arranged for Dusingizimana to join the team at their net session at Trent Bridge as they prepared for the one-day series against Sri Lanka. It was the culmination of Dusingizimana’s week-long trip to England that included a fundraising dinner at Lord’s at which around £120,000 (about Rwf140 million) was pledged to the charity appeal to build the first cricket stadium in Rwanda. Earlier this year The Daily Telegraph reported on the growth of cricket in the country and how the sport is playing its part in healing divided communities after the genocide of 1994. The only cricket ground in Rwanda is located on the site of one of the biggest mass killings 22 years ago in the capital Kigali but a British charity is raising funds to establish a new purpose-built ground that will enable Rwandans to play on a grass wicket for the first time and grow the sport. Since our report, the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Trust has signed a partnership with Surrey to become the county club’s overseas charity partner. Surrey have donated £10,000 and pledged to commit a further £40,000 over the next five years. Work has also now begun on the new ground, with bulldozers last week clearing the site for the start of construction. It is hoped the ground will be open by March 2017. Rwanda became an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council in 2003 – the third tier of the international game – and play in the African Division Two against the likes of Sierra Leone and Mozambique. The women’s game is thriving and members of the men’s team work as coaches in Kigali schools. They have to play all their international matches abroad because there are no grass wickets in Rwanda. The one pitch in the country is concrete with a matted covering, and bowlers can only bowl from one end because the bounce is dangerously uneven. Cricket is the fastest growing sport in Rwanda and Dusingizimana has become a celebrity at home after becoming the first Rwandan to hold a Guinness world record when he batted for 51 hours in the nets. Dusingizimana, who opens the batting for Rwanda, was bowled only twice during his mammoth session which included facing deliveries from Tony Blair and the British High Commissioner to Rwanda. He was allowed a five-minute break every hour and despite more than two days at the crease, was able to celebrate at the end with a headstand. Agencies

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Dusingizimana rounds off successful fundraising trip with Joe Root