Fanny Utagushimaninde Makes T20I History with Century on Debut

Historic T20I Debut for Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde

Lagos, Nigeria - March 20: Fanny Utagushimaninde, a cricketer from Rwanda, has etched her name in the record books by becoming the first woman to score a century on her T20I debut, as reported by a leading sports network.

During the Nigeria Invitational Women’s T20I Tournament, she achieved this remarkable feat by scoring an unbeaten 111 runs off just 65 balls against Ghana at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval on Friday.

At the young age of 15 years and 223 days, Utagushimaninde also set the record for being the youngest player to score a century in women's T20 internationals. The previous record was held by Australia’s Karen Rolton, who scored an unbeaten 96 against England in 2005.

Before Utagushimaninde, the youngest centurion title belonged to Uganda’s Prosscovia Alako, who was 16 years and 233 days old when she scored 116 against Mali in 2019.

In the match, Rwanda Women secured a convincing 122-run victory over Ghana. After winning the toss and opting to bat, Rwanda's opening pair set a rapid pace. Utagushimaninde hit an impressive 17 boundaries during her innings.

With a late contribution from Merveille Uwase, who scored 32 runs off 19 balls, Rwanda amassed a formidable total of 210 runs for 3 wickets in their 20 overs. Ghana's bowlers struggled to keep the run rate in check, with Grace Quaicoe, Miriam Eshun, and Ernestina Sagoe each taking one wicket.

In pursuit of 211 runs, Ghana struggled to find their footing, with Rwanda's disciplined bowling attack maintaining pressure from the outset.

Kate Awuah was the only player to offer resistance for Ghana, scoring 31 runs off 56 balls. Ultimately, Ghana was limited to 88 runs for 8 wickets after 20 overs, falling significantly short of the target. Belyse Murekatete from Rwanda led the bowling effort with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs.