Wednesday, September 25 Rwanda vs Uganda: Uganda U19: 102/10 (19.3 overs) Rwanda U19: 56/10 (19.4 overs) Uganda won by 46 runs Malisa Ariokot’s knock (33 off 24 balls), and disciplined bowling and fielding, laid the platform for Uganda’s 46-run win over hosts Rwanda in the final Group A tie of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier held at IPRC Cricket Ground on Wednesday. Ariokot, the standout batter for Uganda, steadied the ship after seeing her captain, Jimia Abdallah Muhamed, dismissed for a duck in the final ball of the first over. She orchestrated a valuable partnership with Asumin Akurut (20 off 15 balls) and Jane Naume Amongin (25 off 18 balls) to guide her side to a decent score (102 for 10 in 19.3 overs). ALSO READ: Cricket: Another win for Rwanda Women U19 but Uganda claim top spot After the break, Rwanda never got going after two clumsy runouts to their opening batters and disciplined bowling from Uganda’s bowlers. Asumin Akurut led the bowling assault with two wickets for nine runs in her four overs. Mary Patricia Apolot and Patricia Fiona Timong also weighed in with two wickets each to stifle Rwanda’s chase. Rwanda was bowled out for 56 runs, which means that Uganda tops the Group and will now face Group B runner-up Zimbabwe in the semi-final on Saturday, September 28, at Gahanga 2 Ground. Zimbabwe seal semifinal slot after Tanzania win Nervy Zimbabwe scrapped past Tanzania to reach the semifinals of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Kigali. Chipo Moyo’s 2 for 6 in three overs and Beloved Biza’s 1 for 11 in four overs headlined a fine bowling performance by Zimbabwe as they scrambled to a hard-fought 13-run victory at Gahanga Cricket Stadium. Having restricted the Southern African side to a modest 113-7 and getting their run chase off to a perfect start at six per over in the batting power play (38-0), Tanzania lost three of their four top batters in the next five overs to swing the tie back in Zimbabwe’s favour. The last nail in the coffin came in the 16th over when Tanzania’s star batter and top scorer in the tournament, Jenipher Gabriel Kimaro, was clean bowled by Moyo, three runs shy of her half-century. Victory cements Zimbabwe’s runner-up slot in Group B, setting up a semifinal clash with Uganda on Saturday 28th September, at Gahanga 2 Ground. Clinical Nigeria top Group B after convincing win over Malawi Nigeria opening batter Victory Osaivbie Igbinedion scored 66 off 72 balls to guide her side to a massive 86-run win over Malawi at Gahanga Cricket Stadium. Nigeria, who opted to bat first after winning the toss, made the most of the opportunity. They piled on the runs thanks to Malawi’s 23 extras, which eventually propelled the West Africans to a formidable score of 147 for 4 in their 20 overs. Omosigho Promise Eguakun (27 off 20 balls) and captain Piety Ebosetale Lucky (19 off 12) also made valuable contributions with the bat. Malawi struggled to maneuver the field in the run-chase thanks to Nigeria’s clever field placements and disciplined bowling. In particular, Peace Usen (2 for 7 in 4 overs) and Lucky (2 for 5 in 3 overs) were sensational with the ball as they stifled Malawi’s chase. The win means that Nigeria finish top of Group B and will now face Rwanda in Saturday’s semifinal at IPRC Cricket Ground. Namibia ends barren run Namibia captain Engela Estelle Van Der Merwe and Right-arm medium pace bowler Unombuiro Kauarive Kaanjosa played the lead roles as their team finally got a win in the bag against Kenya in their final Group A tie at IPRC Cricket Ground. Van Der Merwe compiled a technically brilliant innings of 70 not-out from 56 balls to lead her team to a competitive total of 147-5 after opting to bat first. In the same vein, Kaanjosa (3 for 24 in four overs) bundled out the middle-order, including the prize wicket of Kenya’s captain Melvin Khagoitsa (40 off 36 balls), as Kenya collapsed to 91 for 5 with no way back into the contest, eventually falling short by 28 runs. Van Der Merwe began explosively, quickly reassessed the conditions, and proceeded at a more tempered pace, hitting 12 fours to finish unbeaten on 70. On the other hand, Kenya’s run-chase was undone early with opening batter Kreeshna Mehta (9 off 7 balls) and Awe Wambua (golden duck) dismissed inside the first three overs by Veronika Popyeninawa Tobias, who finished with impressive figures of 2 for 19 in her four overs. Victory means that Namibia finishes third in Group A and will contest for the fifth spot on Thursday 26th September at Gahanga 2 Ground with Tanzania who also finished third in Group B.
