It was hardly 10:00 am on Tuesday and roughly two dozen young men who play for the U-19 and the IPRC academy had already started screaming on top of their voices with the leader singing "do you support Rwanda” and the rest responding "yes we support it.”
"Do you support Tanzania” and "we don’t support Tanzania” being the response.
Tanzania was giving Rwanda a hard time in the Women’s T20 tournament first organised in 2014 in remembrance of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
This competition is Rwanda Cricket Association’s flagship tournament that was initially played by Rwanda and Uganda, but then more countries from Africa, South America and Europe have since joined; with this year’s new teams on board being Germany and Brazil.
Gahanga cricket stadium is part of the infrastructure that has been pivotal in the growth of cricket in the country. Photo: File.
At the Kicukiro Oval, also known as IPRC ground, which is now an upgraded international ground, I couldn’t believe that it was the same playground I put to shame my high school team seven years ago.
I will never forget how my team lost the finals because of me. I was not really good at the game, but I guess the anxiety to be looked upon was unbearable. I was fair at bowling but terrible or beyond when it came to batting. I had showcased my fielding skills with a clean catch at the semi-finals, one that took us to the last game.
I remember I batted last. We always sent the best before, then the average, and then the ones who will run at least once, or not run at all. "Keep your eyes on the ball,” the coach would tell us. But the ball is always fast, you know.
Tanzanian bowler during her powerful throw at the 2022 KwibukaT20 tourney at the Kicukiro Oval. Photo by Dan Nsengiyumva
It was the finals this time, and the advice was now "bat as you run” because we were chasing. A few seconds in position and boom! It was a wicket maiden and I was the last one batting. I have never felt ashamed in my life. No one even shook my hand. But this was the last time I played. Ever since, I am just a spectator.
But the way this formerly hopeless ground has seen change is exactly the same way that the cricket game in Rwanda has seen. Because of how muddy it was, plastic carpets were the only solution to have a game running.
Despite my shameful experience, although I can’t blame the pitch, some have had a great one, even at their young age. One of them is Henriette Ishimwe who is only 18 years old. She has played for the national team as a right-arm medium pace bowler and right handed batter since 2017.
Rwandan Cricket star Henriette Ishimwe poses for a picture at the Kicukiro Oval.
This senior six student is known around the world, at least among Cricket lovers, for her amazing performance in the Fairbreak T20 Invitational Tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
She made a delivery that bowled Australia’s Nicola Carey and a wily run-out that sent back Thailand’s Nattaya Boochatham, helping her team Barmy Army Women beat Spirit Women by 50 runs on May 6 this year.
"I couldn’t believe it myself. We were playing against professional players who are experts in the game. Some were captains of big teams in the world,” Ishimwe told the Times Sport.
She now has a dream to become one of the best cricketers in Africa, and given her talent and zeal, there is no doubt about that.
"It all comes one step at a time, but in the end, it happens,” Ishimwe said.
The national women’s team manager, Delphine Mukarurangwa at the Kicukiro Oval.
She is not the first female cricketer to raise Rwanda’s flag high. Cathia Uwamahoro, 29, is well known for breaking a Guinness world record in 2017 for the longest (26 hours) cricket net session made by a woman.
So much more has been achieved by both the men and women national teams in Africa and beyond.
For instance, the International Cricket Council (ICC) ranks Rwanda’s women’s team seventh in Africa and 34th in the world, despite their first international appearance being in 2008.
The national men’s team, however, is ranked 14th in Africa and 63rd in the world. Their first international game was played in 2004.
However unsatisfactory this may sound, it hasn’t even been two decades when Rwanda joined the ICC as an Affiliate Member. The country’s first international cricket appearance started a year after 2003 when they joined the council.
You see, there is no known history of this game in Rwanda before the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. But a group of Rwandans who returned to the country from English speaking countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania introduced the game between 1999 and 2000 at the former National University of Rwanda in Huye. It is also when the national association was formed.
In 2003, when Rwanda joined the ICC, the country only had three men’s clubs. Today, the national cricket association has 14 men’s clubs and 10 women’s clubs.
Tanzanian batter and Rwandan keeper in position at the 2022 KwibukaT20 Tournament at Kicukiro Oval. Photo by Dan Nsengiyumva
Emmanuel Byiringiro, the General Manager of Rwanda cricket Association (RCA) described to Times Sport in an interview that Rwanda’s Cricket journey is unbelievable if one is to look back from where it all started.
This game was mainly made successful by selfless volunteers who were passionate about it and wanted to see it succeed.
Byiringiro described how initially, even tournaments would be played from football pitches because there wasn’t a facility dedicated to cricket only.
"There was a time when we didn’t have a single employee. It was just voluntary work and we would travel with our documents because we had no office. Our journey has not been a smooth one but we have worked hard to get where we are now,” Byiringiro said.
He shares the feeling with Delphine Mukarurangwa, 28, who is currently the manager of the Women’s national team. She first held a bat when she had just started high school in 2008.
"Some foreigners came to school to train us. Because I was an athlete already, I found Cricket interesting so I started playing like that. I still play sometimes but because of an injury I had, I am more involved in management these days,” Mukarurangwa said.
In 2010, she joined the national U-19 team and has since played for Rwanda until 2019 when she got an injury.
Mukarurangwa narrated how the journey of women cricket has been challenging but also interesting.
"It was very challenging because we were being coached by fellow players. Some of us were students too, so it would be hard to travel from upcountry to Kigali for training during holidays,” Mukarurangwa added.
The journey was nevertheless stunning, she said. One of the things that kept her in the game was the many awards she received as a cricketer, even if her team didn’t make it.
"Cricket is that kind of game that you can't easily quit,” she added.
Mukarurangwa also believes that in three years, Rwanda will have a strong team because of the zeal of players and the support they receive from the association.
For her, she eyes to become one of the best umpires, and she has already started the course.
The school where Mukarurangwa learned to play from, Kagarama Secondary School, was one of the four schools the national association started grooming today’s cricketers from.
Today, cricket is played in 105 schools in 16 districts across Rwanda. Also, at least 40,000 people have participated in the game at least once.
The country also has two international cricket grounds and another one in the making. One of them, Lords of Africa Gahanga Cricket Stadium was Rwanda’s first proper cricket ground, which was inaugurated by President Paul Kagame in 2017. It is arguably among the finest in Africa.
The uninitiated would never imagine that there was a time when the now vibrant cricket association was homeless, or when the beautiful game was only played by university students.
Byiringiro said that the next move is to make Rwanda a high performance centre for Cricket, and have the national team qualify for the world cup.