An absolutely thrilling encounter took place during Match 18 of the 2026 Kwibuka Women’s T20I Tournament at the Gahanga Cricket Stadium in Kigali. In an intensely competitive battle, Brazil won the toss and elected to field first, forcing a brilliant deadlock as both teams scored exactly 128 runs in their respective 20 overs before Brazil ultimately clinched victory in a dramatic Super Over.
In the thriller that came down to the absolute wire, Rwanda’s batting lineup matched Brazil’s target exactly, putting up a resilient 128/5 in their 20 overs before heading into a tense Super Over. The backbone of the innings was a brilliant captain’s knock by Marie Bimenyimana, who finished painstakingly close to a half-century with an unbeaten 49 off 41 deliveries, with 6 crisp boundaries.
Support came in flashes, Gisele Ishimwe provided the early intent with a brisk 21 off just 16 balls, while Georgette Ingabire ground out a crucial 23 off 28 balls and Clarisse Umutoniwase chipped in with 13 off 19 before both were caught short of their crease by sharp Brazilian fielding. Lower down, Henriette Ishimwe kept the momentum alive with a quick-fire, unbeaten 9 off 8 balls.
On the tougher side of the sheet, opener Fanny Utagushimaninde fell for a golden duck and wicketkeeper Merveille Uwase struggled to get going, departing for 2 off 7 balls, minor setbacks in a collective batting effort that pushed the game into extra frames.
The Brazilian bowling attack put on immediate pressure when Maria Ribeiro struck on the very first ball of the innings, dismissing opener Fanny Utagushimaninde for a duck. From a bowling perspective, Maria Ribeiro was the standout performer for Brazil, strangling the scoring rate across her 4 overs to finish with highly economical figures of 1/16.
Captain Carolina Nascimento led with discipline, conceding just 22 runs from her 4 overs, while Nicole Monteiro and Laura Cardoso bowled tight supplementary spells to keep the pressure mounting. Despite the constant tumbling of wickets engineered by Moisés (1/30) and Boas (1/22), Rwanda’s lower order fought back late in the death overs to push their final score to a competitive 128/5.
In a thrilling pursuit of Rwanda’s total, Brazil’s batting effort was anchored by a magnificent, unbeaten half-century from Roberta Avery, who smashed 56 off 50 balls with 6 boundaries to keep her side alive. She found an able opening partner in Lindsay Boas, who laid a solid foundation with a steady 28 off 27 deliveries before being caught by Henriette Ishimwe off Ruth Uwimana’s bowling.
However, Rwanda’s bowlers repeatedly triggered shifts in momentum; Henriette Ishimwe wreaked havoc on the upper middle order, clean bowling Laura Agatha for 1 and quickly removing Laura Cardoso for another single, courtesy of a sharp catch by Fanny Utagushimaninde.
A severe collapse followed as wicketkeeper Monnike Machado fell for a 5 ball duck to Alice Ikuzwe caught by Merveille Uwase and Maria Silva was trapped lbw by Ikuzwe on the very next ball. Ana Sabino injected late hope with a fighting 21 off 18 balls, clearing the ropes for the match’s only six before Belyse Murekatete shattered her stumps.
Though captain Carolina Nascimento fell cheaply for 1 to Rosine Uwera, caught by Gisele Ishimwe , Nicole Monteiro added a frantic 10 off 7 balls at the death before being caught by Fanny Utagushimaninde, capping off a breathless innings that left the sides deadlocked at 128 apiece.
The dramatic fall of wickets and bowling stats, paint a picture of an absolute nail-biter, where Rwanda’s disciplined bowling unit kept putting the brakes on Brazil’s chase. The breakthrough came early when Laura Agatha fell at 6/1 in the second over, followed quickly by Laura Cardoso at 14/2. Brazil managed a brief recovery until Lindsay Boas was dismissed at 47/3, triggering a brutal middle-order collapse that saw Monnike Machado (48/4) and Maria Silva (48/5) depart on consecutive deliveries in the 10th over.
A gritty lower-order fightback kept Brazil alive until Ana Sabino fell at 87/6, and when captain Carolina Nascimento was out at 97/7, it looked like Rwanda had the upper hand. In a breathtaking finish, Nicole Monteiro was dismissed on the very last ball of the 20th over at 128/8, leaving the scores perfectly leveled.
Rwanda’s defensive bowling effort was brilliantly spearheaded by Alice Ikuzwe, who turned the match on its head with a devastating spell of 2/11 in 3 overs. Belyse Murekatete was equally miserly, conceding a mereko 7 runs in her 2 overs while picking up a crucial wicket. Henriette Ishimwe proved to be the primary strike weapon, bagging 2/29 across her 4 overs, while captain Marie Bimenyimana chipped in with a vital 1/24. Rosine Uwera (1/18) and Ruth Uwimana (1/34) each claimed a scalp as well, delivering under immense pressure to drag a relentless Brazilian batting lineup into a dramatic Super Over.
In the super over Brazil’s batting unit executed a masterclass in power-hitting, plundering a dominant 15 runs from their single over without dropping a single wicket. Roberta Avery led the charge with an incredibly explosive cameo, blasting 10 runs off just 3 balls, highlighted by a massive, game-changing six. Complementing the fireworks from the other end, her opening partner Lindsay Boas remained equally untroubled, anchoring the short blast with a quick-fire 5 runs off 3 deliveries, which included a vital boundary to maximize the over.
This relentless onslaught came entirely at the expense of Rwanda’s Belyse Murekatete, who suffered a tough, high-pressure over, conceding all 15 runs, while Laura Agatha was left waiting in the dugout as the designated player yet to bat.
With the pressure magnified in the deciding Super Over, Rwanda’s pursuit of Brazil’s target fell heartbreakingly short as they were bowled out for 8 runs in just 0.5 overs. Gisele Ishimwe provided a spark of hope, scoring an unbeaten 5 runs off 2 deliveries, highlighted by a crucial boundary. However, Brazil’s defense was flawless under pressure. Belyse Murekatete scored 2 runs off 2 balls before a sharp piece of fielding by Nicole Monteiro resulted in a crucial run-out.
The final blow landed on the very next ball when Henriette Ishimwe was dismissed for a golden duck, caught by captain Carolina Nascimento off the bowling of Laura Cardoso to end the game at 8/2. Laura Cardoso was the hero of the over for Brazil, clinical in her execution as she claimed the match-winning wicket while giving away just 8 runs across her 0.5 overs.
What went incredibly well for Brazil was the clinical execution under immense pressure during the deciding Super Over, where Roberta Moretti Avery spearheaded a ruthless, unbeaten 15-run onslaught before Laura Cardoso closed out the game by picking up a crucial wicket while giving away just 8 runs.
On the other hand, everything went wrong for Rwanda in that final frame as their bowling unravelled with Belyse Murekatete conceding 15 expensive runs in her single over, followed by a batting collapse that saw Belyse Murekatete run out by Nicole Monteiro and Henriette Ishimwe dismissed for a golden duck to cut their chase heartbreakingly short.
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