Cricket: Oluoch stars as Kenya dismiss Rwanda in T20 opener
Kenya's Lucas Ndandason (left) bowls monitored by Umpire David "Pamba" Odhiambo during Continent Twenty20 International (T20I) Africa Cup match against at Nairobi Gymkhana ground on June 09, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Kenya lost wickets quickly in the last 10 overs of the contest, causing panic in the hosts' bench that they would blow away their impressive start
- They had openers Rushab Patel (35 off 20) and Collins Obuya (36 off 27) and third batsman Nelson Odhiambo (23 off 24) to thank for the victory in the match where Rwanda won the toss and elected to bat first
- Emile Rukiriza took the most wickets for Rwanda at three in four overs where he conceded 22 runs
A strong performance by Kenya’s top-order batsmen on Friday helped the hosts register a three-wicket win over Rwanda in the opening match of the inaugural Continent Twenty20 International (T20I) Africa Cup at Nairobi Gymkhana.
Kenya lost wickets quickly in the last 10 overs of the contest, causing panic in the hosts' bench that they would blow away their impressive start
They had openers Rushab Patel (35 off 20) and Collins Obuya (36 off 27) and third batsman Nelson Odhiambo (23 off 24) to thank for the victory in the match where Rwanda won the toss and elected to bat first.
“We bowled really well upfront and I think we can do better in finishing at the end. We started batting really well and could have done it for two or three wickets down only but we gave away easy wickets to the opponents. Going forward, we will work on that, we will improve game by game,” said Kenya’s captain Rakep Patel.
Rwanda, who showed tremendous improvement by their impressive display in the match set a target of 137 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs of their innings. Kenya carried the day with 139 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 18.3 overs of their innings.
Lucas Oluoch terrorised Rwanda’s batsmen with four wickets in four overs where he conceded 36 runs. He was named the man-of-the match.
“Being man-of-the match gives me confidence heading to the next game. I need to improve on my economy and contribution with the bat because today I did not get any with the bat, hopefully next time I will be able to help the team,” said Oluoch who was dismissed for a duck after coming in as the eighth batsman.
Rwanda’s opener and top scorer Didier Ndikubwimana (43 runs off 44 balls) was among Oluoch’s four victims. Emile Rukiriza took the most wickets for Rwanda at three in four overs where he conceded 22 runs.
Rwanda’s captain Clinton Rubagumya said that going by their performance in the match, it is clear that they can beat Kenya when the two teams meet again on Wednesday.
“We can close (to winning) but it is still not enough. To go over the line, we have to do even more than what we did today (against Kenya),” said Rubagumya, adding that their score of 137 runs was close to their target which he did not reveal.
In another match at the same venue, Uganda trounced Botswana by six wickets. Botswana won the toss and elected to bat first, setting a target of 115 runs all-out in 19.5 overs of their innings.
In reply, Uganda hit 116 runs for the loss of four wickets in 13 overs of their innings. Uganda’s Bilal Hassan was crowned the man-of-the-match after he picked four wickets in four overs where he conceded 23 runs.
