Zimbabwe U19 Women produced a disciplined all-round performance to secure a convincing 42-run victory over Rhinos Women in the Zimbabwe Women’s T20 Cup 2026 encounter at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, on August 19. The match saw Zimbabwe U19 Women overcome a few early setbacks with a series of useful partnerships before their bowlers ensured that Rhinos Women never managed to build enough momentum in the chase.
Zimbabwe U19 Women began their innings with Lorraine Pemhiwa and Makanaka Zinyama at the crease, but the opening stand did not last long. Lorraine scored 9 from 10 balls, including two boundaries, before she was caught by Kelly Ndiraya off Francisca Chipare with the score on 11 in the third over.
Makanaka then found an important partner in Beloved Biza, and the pair steadied the innings through a valuable second-wicket partnership. Beloved was particularly aggressive, smashing 26 from just 15 deliveries with five fours, while Makanaka contributed 10 from 19 balls. Their partnership helped Zimbabwe U19 Women move from 11/1 to 42/2 before Biza was caught by Melinda Kachingwe off Kay Ndiraya in the sixth over.
The innings then suffered another quick blow when Tadiwanashe Garutsa was dismissed for a two-ball duck, caught by Kelly Ndiraya off Kay Ndiraya, leaving Zimbabwe U19 Women at 42/3. Salem Museka joined Christina Mutasa and the two batters responded with a crucial recovery.
Salem made 7 from 13 balls, while Christina attacked the bowling more confidently, scoring 25 from 24 deliveries with three fours. Their 22-run stand took the score to 64 before Salem was trapped lbw by Ashley Munatswa. Christina continued to hold the innings together alongside Charmaine Manyuki, who scored 8 from 12 balls, as the pair added 28 runs to take the total to 92/6. Charmaine was then bowled by Natalie Chikandinga.
Naomi Mhlekwa provided another important contribution with an unbeaten 25 from only 15 balls, hitting four fours and striking at 166.67. She first combined with Christina, who eventually fell for 25 at 109/7 after being bowled by Natalie Chikandinga. Naomi then shared another useful stand with Andile Mthomba, who made 3 from 7 balls, before Andile was dismissed at 127/8, again falling to Chikandinga.
Felicity Mpofu remained unbeaten on 3 from five balls, allowing Zimbabwe U19 Women to finish on 133/8 after 20 overs. The innings was boosted by 17 extras, including 14 wides, one bye and two no-balls. For Rhinos Women, Natalie Chikandinga was the standout bowler with 3/20 from four overs, while Kay Ndiraya claimed 2/19 and Ashley Munatswa took 2/33. Francisca Chipare also picked up 1/26, while Kelly Ndiraya finished with 0/16 and Whitney Bayana conceded 18 runs in her solitary over.
Chasing 134, Rhinos Women needed a positive start, but Zimbabwe U19 Women immediately applied pressure. Kelly Ndiraya and Melinda Kachingwe began the pursuit, with Kelly looking composed at the top of the order. However, Melinda fell for 3 from four balls at 14/1 in the third over, caught by Naomi Mhlekwa off Tadiwanashe Garutsa. Josephine Nkomo joined Kelly but struggled to get going, scoring 5 from 14 balls before she was caught by Christina Mutasa off Felicity Mpofu, leaving Rhinos Women at 20/2.
Kelly continued to anchor the chase and found Portia Chihwai for the third-wicket partnership. Their stand became the most significant phase of the Rhinos innings, adding 28 runs before Kelly was dismissed at 48/3 in the 11th over. She scored a valuable 33 from 30 balls, including four fours and a six, but her departure left Rhinos Women needing a substantial acceleration.
Portia remained at the crease and eventually put together another useful partnership with Francisca Chipare. Portia made 18 from 41 balls, while Francisca provided greater impetus with an unbeaten 19 from 26 deliveries, including a four and a six. Their 33-run partnership took Rhinos Women to 81/4 before Portia was caught by Tadiwanashe Garutsa off Christina Mutasa in the 19th over.
Kay Ndiraya joined Francisca for the final phase, but with the required rate climbing rapidly, Rhinos Women could only manage 10 more runs. Kay finished unbeaten on 3 from seven balls, while Francisca stayed at the crease on 19 as Rhinos Women ended their 20 overs on 91/5. Zimbabwe U19 Women therefore completed a 42-run victory, defending their 133-run total with excellent discipline.
Christina Mutasa led the bowling effort with 2/18 from four overs, while Tawananyasha Zvomarima bowled a tidy spell of 4-0-16-0. Felicity Mpofu took 1/11 in two overs, Tadiwanashe Garutsa claimed 1/17 from four overs, and Salem Museka returned 0/13 from three overs. Beloved Biza also contributed with 1/11 from three overs. Zimbabwe U19 Women’s combination of timely partnerships, Naomi Mhlekwa’s late acceleration and a controlled bowling display proved decisive.
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