The Rwandan national cricket team is the team that represents

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

international cricket International cricket matches are played between teams representing their nations, normally organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The main forms are Test matches, One-Day matches and Twenty20 matches. Most games are played ...

. They became an affiliate member of the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

(ICC) in 2003 and an associate member in 2017.

History

2000-2008

2004 marked the genesis of Rwanda national team's participation in Regional & International tournaments, their very first being the African Affiliates Championship in 2004, where they finished seventh in South Africa. In 2006 they competed in Division Three of the

African region The Africa Scout Region is the divisional office of the World Scout Bureau of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, with satellite offices in Cape Town, South Africa, and Dakar, Senegal. The Africa Region s ...

of the

World Cricket League The ICC World Cricket League (WCL) was a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status (i.e., teams of Associate status) administered by the International Cricket Council. All Associate Members of t ...

, improving their performance and finishing in sixth. They remained in Division Three in 2008. In 2008, they participated in the ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division Three hosted by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and reached semi finals.

2009-2015

In 2009, the national team participated in the African Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Malawi and in the ICC Africa Twenty20 Division Three in 2011 hosted by

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

and emerged as the winners against

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

2015-2020

In 2016, captain Eric Dusingizimana set a world record for the longest individual net session in an attempt to raise funds for the construction of a new cricket stadium. Rwanda_national_cricket_players_during_celebrating_victory_at_Gahanga_cricket_oval

Rwanda_national_cricket_players_during_celebrating_victory_at_Gahanga_cricket_oval

In 2017, they became an associate member of the ICC. Rwanda_national_cricket_players_during_trainings_at_Gahanga_cricket_oval

In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full

Twenty20 International A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the ...

(T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all

Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...

matches played between Rwanda and other ICC members since 1 January 2019 have been full T20Is. In March 2018 the Rwanda Cricket Association named former Kenyan international

Martin Suji Martin Armon Suji (born 2 June 1971) is a former Kenyan cricketer who played One-Day Internationals for the Kenyan national side between 1996 and 2006. A right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler, his overall international career s ...

as head coach on an initial four-month contract, encompassing the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Africa Qualifier Eastern Subregion tournament.

Grounds

Gahanga International Cricket Stadium Rwanda Cricket Stadium, also known as Kicukiro Oval, is a cricket ground in Kigali, Rwanda. The stadium is officially titled the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium. The ground is Rwanda's first dedicated international cricket ground and it ...

and Kicukiro Oval located in IPRC Kigali former ETO Kicukiro are the main cricket grounds in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali has been Rwa ...

. In August 2011, Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation was formed to build and manage, on a not-for-profit basis, the first dedicated international cricket ground in

. It is located on a 4.5-hectare site on the edge of Kigali, Rwanda's capital. The charity is run by a team of cricket enthusiasts from the UK

Christopher Shale Christopher Michael Henry Shale (23 August 1954 – 25 June 2011) was a British businessman and Conservative politician. He was chairman of the West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, and a close associate of Prime Minister and local MP ...

and Rwanda in partnership with the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

Foundation. The ground was expected to be completed in 2014. The construction of Rwanda's first dedicated cricket ground will provide a permanent home for the sport, helping its development and increasing opportunity for thousands of disadvantaged young people. In 2012,

Brian Lara Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing reco ...

agreed to become one of the patrons. The stadium is also supported by British Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

, Andrew Mitchell, Jonathan Agnew, Heather Knight,

Peter Gummer, Baron Chadlington Peter Selwyn Gummer, Baron Chadlington FCIPR FIoD FCinstM FRSA (born 24 August 1942) is an English businessman. He is currently President of the Witney Conservative constituency association, and is a PR adviser, long-standing supporter and do ...

Facilities

* An international-standard cricket ground (one Astroturf wicket; several grass wickets) * Pavilion (with restaurant, bar and conference facilities) * Six cricket nets * Modest spectator seating * Car parking (c. 80 spaces) * Soft (green) landscaping

Records and Statistics

International Match Summary — Rwanda ''Last updated 23 December 2022''

Twenty20 International

* Highest team total: 196/4 v.

, 19 October 2021 at

. * Highest individual score: 100 *, Orchide Tuyisenge v.

, 19 October 2021 at

. * Best individual bowling figures: 4/9, Martin Akayezu v. Estawini, 22 October 2021 at

. Most T20I runs for Rwanda Most T20I wickets for Rwanda T20I record versus other nations ''Records complete to T20I #1982. Last updated 23 December 2022.''

Other matches

For a list of selected international matches played by Rwanda, se
Cricket Archive

References

External links

Cricinfo-Rwanda

Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation

Rwanda national cricket team image
{{National sports teams of Rwanda Cricket in Rwanda National cricket teams

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

Rwanda in international cricket