Hosts Rwanda, led by skipper Marie Bimenyimana, were up against Vanuatu, led by skipper Rachel Andrew, at the Gahanga B Ground, Rwanda, in the 3rd match of the ICC Women’s T20I Challenge Trophy 2026. Italy and the USA registered comprehensive victories against Rwanda and Nepal on the opening day of the tournament on 18th April (Saturday) 2026.
Rwanda skipper Marie Bimenyimana won the toss and opted to bat first. The move seemed to backfire as they lost their top-order inside the first three overs of the innings. Skipper Marie Bimenyimana joined opening batter Gisele Ishimwe at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 49-run partnership for the 4th wicket.
Nasimana Navaika broke the stand by sending the opening batter, Gisele Ishimwe (34 off 31 balls), back to the pavilion in the 11th over of the innings to provide the 4th breakthrough for Vanuatu.
Clarisse Uwase joined skipper Marie Bimenyimana at the crease, and the duo stitched another vital 21-run partnership for the 5th wicket. Nasimana Navaika returned and got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Marie Bimenyimana (28 off 39 balls), in the 15th over, to provide the 5th breakthrough for Vanuatu. A 20-run 7th wicket stand between Henriette Ishimwe (24 off 18 balls) and Clarisse Uwase took them past the 100-run mark.
Rwanda ended up with a competitive total of 109/8 in their quota of 20 overs. There were a total of 5 extras in the innings. Vanessa Vira (4-1-8-3), Nasimana Navaika (4-0-18-2), Selina Solman (4-0-24-0), and Rayline Ova (4-0-30-1) were the top performers with the ball for Vanuatu.
Chasing a target of 110, Vanuatu kept losing wickets at regular intervals, denying them of any momentum into the run chase. The 27-run 5th wicket partnership between Gillian Chilia (9 off 19 balls) and Susan Stephen (20 off 29 balls) was the only noteworthy partnership for Vanuatu in the run chase.
They were eventually bundled out for 68, with 3 balls to spare, falling 41 runs short of the target. Selina Solman (10 off 14 balls) was the only other batter to enter the double digits with the bat for her side in the chase.
There were 9 extras bowled by the Rwanda bowlers in the innings. Skipper Marie Bimenyimana (4-1-8-3), Belise Murekatete (3.3-0-6-3), Henriette Ishimwe (4-0-14-1), and Rosette Shimwamana (4-0-17-1) were the top performers with the ball for Rwanda.
Skipper Marie Bimenyimana was awarded the Player of the Match for her impactful all-round performance, scoring (28 off 39 balls) with the bat and returning decisively with match figures (4-1-8-3) with the ball, playing a pivotal role in helping her side get back to winning ways in the tournament.
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