Rwanda’s 19-year-old all-rounder Henriette Ishimwe has outnumbered fellow nominees Sibona Jimmy and Ravina Oa from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to claim the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded, Player Of The Month award for March.
Featuring in the 5-team Nigeria Cricket Federation Women’s International Twenty20 Tournament, Ishimwe got her campaign underway with a brilliant all-round show against Ghana that saw her score a mature 22-ball 32 with the bat and then went on to produce stunning figures of 4/4.
In the following game, against Sierra Leone, Ishimwe went wicketless but delivered very economical overs having registered figures of 4-1-10-0. Chasing 57 for the win, Ishimwe walked in 3 down and scored a 13-ball 17 but just couldn’t close the game out. Her best was on show in the following game against Cameroon.
Against Cameroon, Ishimwe with the bat registered a fine 33-ball 44 that helped her team post a competitive total, and she then, with the ball, bagged a 5-fer in just 15 balls (2.3 overs) conceding only 6 runs which saw Cameroon bowled out for 29 as her team went on to win by a thumping 126-run margin.
In her game no. 4 against Nigeria, she scored 8 off 11 balls and with the ball, registered figures of 1/6 off 2. In the Final Rwanda played Nigeria, again, and this time around as well, Ishimwe didn’t have the best of outings as she registered figures of 0/26 (4) with the ball and was dismissed cheaply for 15(19) in a run chase of 99.
While the tournament win didn’t come Ishimwe’s way as Nigeria went on to win by 9 runs, she’s received her recognition in being awarded as the Player Of The Month to which she had the following to say, “I am humbled and honoured to win this award for my performances in the last month.
“I owe this award to the many people who have supported me throughout my journey in cricket. To my coaches, who have invested countless hours into my training and development, to my teammates, who have been my source of inspiration and motivation, and to my family and friends, who have always stood by me, and above all, the almighty God, who has made all this possible.
“I look forward to continuing to contribute to the world of cricket and win more matches for my country.”
From impressive outings in the inaugural edition of the ICC Women’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup to winning matches for her senior women’s national team with now nearly 50 T20I games experience, Henriette Ishimwe is living the dream.
(Quote sourced from ICC media release)