USA could not recover from a bad start in the field and once more in the early part of the chase as a disciplined Rwanda unit outlasted the Americans on the opening day of the Victoria T20 Series in Uganda. 

Photo credit: Sportsbox YouTube

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA’s second women’s tour of Africa this calendar year got off to a rocky start on Friday as a disciplined Rwanda side held off the Americans by 14 runs on the opening day of the Victoria Series at Entebbe Oval in Uganda. 
 
It was a match that won’t win any style awards – the top scorer from either side was USA’s Isani Vaghela with 18 – but on a day where graft and discipline were essential, Rwanda were far superior at executing fundamentals while USA struggled to do the basics. 
 
The contrasting Powerplay performances also played a major factor in the result as Rwanda reached 37 for 0 in their first five overs after choosing to bat first whereas USA stumbled badly in their reply when they were reduced to 13 for 4 after 30 deliveries. 
 
Rwanda were aided significantly by wayward bowling at the start of the match as well. Their only double-digit over of the first innings came in the second over when new-ball medium pacer Lekha Shetty conceded six wides in an 11-run over during which she struggled to control significant seam movement. When USA’s bowlers were able to bowl the ball within the hitting arc, Rwanda’s batters were equally profitable as the opening combo of Fanny Utagushimaninde and Gisele Ishimwe struck five boundaries across the first five overs. 
 
The opening stand was broken when Ishimwe’s attempted pull shot to Taranum Chopra’s first ball of the day in the sixth over resulted in an under edge that was well held by Ella Claridge standing up to the stumps to end the innings for 16 off 14 balls at 37 for 1. Utagushimaninde fell for 15 in the following over to Sainavi Kambalapalli when the legspinner induced a sliced drive to Pooja Ganesh at point to make it 39 for 2. Merveille Uwase lasted until the 10^th before she shuffled too far across her stumps to sweep and was bowled behind her legs by Chopra for 8 to make it 50 for 3. 
 
Despite not hitting any boundaries from the end of the Powerplay, Rwanda’s middle order continued to grind out singles and collect the occasional wide ball from USA’s bowlers, who conceded at total of 13 wides in all. Clarisse Uwase finally broke the streak in the 16^th when she hit a boundary off Aditi Chudasama, but wound up getting out at the end of the over when she missed a slog and was bowled for a top score of 17 to make it 78 for 4. 
 
It sparked a collapse of five wickets for just four runs across the next two overs. Henriette Ishimwe sliced Ritu Singh to cover for a golden duck in the 17^th and Shakila Niyomuhoza fell three balls later for 11 when she gave herself up after confusion between herself and Belise Murekatete on whether or not to take on Kambalapalli’s arm for a second run from the deep midwicket boundary. Niyomuhoze settled for a single because it was the last ball of the over and wanted to keep strike, but Murakatete kept running and would have been out but Niyomuhoze bizarrely left her crease just as the ball arrived from Kambalapalli to Claridge at the striker’s end to complete a runout for 11 at 82 for 6. 
 
Two more wickets fell in the following over as Chudasama targeted the tail. Murakatete charged, flailed and was stumped for 1 before captain Marie Bbimenyimana slapped a catch to Gargi Bhogle at cover for a duck. 
 
But crucially, USA could not finish off the tail as No. 8 Alice Ikuzwe played a shrewd knock during the final two overs, placing the ball into wide gaps to run a total of seven twos across the last two overs while simultaneously ensuring that No, 10 Rosine Irera was only on strike for a single ball during that stretch. It meant that Rwanda scored 18 runs across the last two overs to finish on 100 for 8. Ikuzwe’s handy 16 not out off 11 balls was just one reason why she was eventually named Player of the Match. 
 
Chudasama finished with 3 for 20 off four overs to lead USA in the field. Chopra was excellent in taking 2 for 10 off four overs with a maiden. Singh claimed 1 for 25 off four overs while Kambalapalli took 1 for 15 off four. The new-ball pace tandem of Maahi Madhavan and Shetty conceded 0 for 17 off three overs and 0 for 11 off one over respectively. 
 
Despite a relatively low target on paper, previous evidence of Women’s T20I matches at this venue indicated that it would be a challenging chase and USA’s lineup was under heavy pressure from the start of their reply. Kambalapalli survived a pair of strong lbw shouts in the first over while Chetna Pagydyala was dropped second ball on a simple edge behind the stumps off the bowling of Murekatete. Rwanda received a slice of very good fortune in the third over though when Pagydyala was given lbw to Murekatete for 1 on a ball delivered from around the wicket to the left-handed batter which replays showed was missing leg stump comfortably. 
 
But USA only have themselves to blame for the rest of their subsequently woeful batting display. Kambalapalli gave a frustrated charge down the wicket and fanned on a heave across the line to be bowled for 3 off 13 balls by Irera to make it 10 for 2 in the fourth. Rwanda captain Bimenyimana then produced a backbreaking double-wicket maiden in the fifth. Having survived a close lbw shout first ball in the fourth over, Claridge waved around a straight ball to begin the fifth and was given lbw for 1. Three balls later, Ganesh tempted fate with a flail across the line after shuffling across her stumps and was given lbw for a third-ball duck to make it 13 for 4. 
 
It could have been even worse for USA as Bhogle and Vaghela were both headed to the non-striker’s end on a mixup in the seventh with the score 16 for 4, but the fielder in the inner circle threw to the bowler’s end rather than the wicketkeeper and a fumble by Bimenyimana over the bowler’s stumps allowed Vaghela to make her ground at the striker’s end for a single. 
 
USA finally struck their first boundary of the chase in the 11^th when Vaghela charged left-arm spinner Ruth Uwimana and drover her over extra cover. But the good feeling in the middle was short-lived as Bhogle fell on the fifth ball of the over, beaten through the gate driving against the turn of Uwimana to be bowled for 7 at 35 for 5, ending USA’s biggest partnership at 22 runs. 
 
Ritu Singh took a single off the final ball of the over to keep strike for the 12^th, but lasted three more balls before an attempted slog over the leg side resulted in her being bowled for 1 to make it 36 for 6. Vaghela’s comparatively long stay finally ended for 18 off 26 balls in the 13^th when she charged Uwimana and sliced a skied catch to Clarisse Uwase at cover to make it 40 for 7. 
 
Chudasama scratched together 11 off 14 runs before she ran herself out in the 16^th to make it 58 for 8. Chopra had stroked a ball toward the cover sweeper and Chudasama peculiarly took a step back toward her crease at the non-striker’s end before eventually deciding to set off for the first run, but her initial misstep cost her when trying to make it back for a second run to keep strike as Irera’s relay to Bimenyimana over the stumps had Chudasama out by a yard. 
 
USA looked way out of the match with 26 balls left and 43 needed to win, but Madhavan began her innings with a hard run three to deep third on the final ball of the 16^th before plundering 14 runs off the 17^th. That included a pair of twos, a scooped four over fine leg off a free hit before ending the over by capitalizing on a poor Rwanda overthrow to run another three. Suddenly, USA had hope of an unlikely rally needing 25 off the last 18 balls to win. 
 
But just as quickly as Madhavan had given USA a flicker of hope, Ikuzwe snuffed it out in the 18^th. She had Madhavan out first ball of the over for 15 off 8 by completing a sharp return catch diving forward to intercept a low drive to make it 76 for 9. Unlike Madhavan, Shetty struggled to put bat on ball coming out at No. 11 as USA’s chances of getting to the target began to rest squarely on the shoulders of Chopra. By the start of the final over, USA still needed 16 to win and the match ended two balls later when Chopra danced around the crease before a wild heave saw her bowled by Ikuzwe for 16 off 15 balls. 
 
Ikuzwe followed up her key late batting cameo in the first innings with key death bowling to end with 3 for 14 off 3.2 overs. Uwimana ended with 2 for 18 off four overs while captain Bimenyimana contributed a vital 2 for 9 off three overs with a maiden. Irera was also sharp finishing with 1 for 13 while Murekatete ended with 1 for 20 off three overs. 
 
In the day’s other match, Uganda coasted in their chase of a target of 74 to get across the line in the final over, beating Namibia by four wickets with three balls to spare. Rita Musamali was named Player of the Match by top-scoring for Uganda with 42 not out on a day where the next best score from her teammates was 7. 
 
USA returns to action on Saturday morning when they face Namibia in the first match of the quad series doubleheader as both teams seek out their first win. In the afternoon, it will be a battle of unbeatens as hosts Uganda face Rwanda.