Rwanda survived a late scare to secure a dramatic 1-run victory over the United States in an ICC Women Challenge Trophy encounter held at Gahanga Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

After winning the toss, Rwanda chose to bat first and posted a competitive 127/4 in 20 overs, built on a composed and controlled innings.

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Giselle Ishimwe led the charge with an impressive 42 off 34 balls, earning Player of the Match honors. She was well supported by Fanny Utagushimaninde, who added a crucial 32 off 37 balls to stabilize the innings.

Their partnership proved vital in giving Rwanda a defendable total against a strong USA side.

The chase went down to the wire when, with 3 runs needed off the final ball, USA batter Sainavi Kambalapalli who scored a quick 27 off 17 balls was under intense pressure.

Captain Diane Bimenyimana delivered a crucial final ball, restricting the batter to just a single run to seal a 1-run victory for Rwanda as USA finished on 126/5 in 20 overs.

"It’s great news because we wanted this victory and we achieved it. We gave everything to win,” Bimenyimana told Times Sport.

She also acknowledged the challenge posed by the USA. "They are not an easy team to play against. But we kept our composure, executed our plans, and succeeded.”

Drawing from experience in tight finishes, she added, "I’ve played in these situations many times, so I’m used to this pressure.”

USA show fight despite this narrow loss

Despite the defeat, the USA showed resilience throughout the chase.

Gargi Bhogle anchored the innings with 35 off 35 balls, while contributions also came from Sainavi. With the ball, Taranum Chopra picked up two wickets, while Maahi Madhavan and Jivana Ras claimed one each.

The USA Hilton Moreeng praised his team effort despite the loss, "Very happy with the fight. In the first 10 minutes of the game, Rwanda was dominant, but we came back and gave ourselves a chance.” He said.

He pointed to key moments late in the game.

I think we lost our momentum after the loss and then got back into the game, in the last two shots, we just made mistakes. That's one of the things a young team like ours will learn from.”

Still, he gave credit to the hosts.

"Rwanda deserved to win today. We knew what they were going to do, but we didn't answer correctly. But after a day, I think we've learned. We'll make sure we go to the next one,” he said.

This victory marks a major statement for Rwanda in the competition, showing their ability to perform under pressure against one of the tournament strong sides.

Sims comes to Italy’s rescue with half-century Vs Vanuatu

Meanwhile, Italy came from the brink of defeat to secure a four-wicket victory over Vanuatu thanks to a match-winning half-century from Ilenia Sims.

Italy won the toss and opted to field first. Vanuatu initially struggled to find rhythm

against a disciplined Italian bowling attack but managed to post a competitive 114/6 in 20 overs. Nasimana Navaika led the scoring with 36 off 39 balls, while Rachel Andrew added 14.

In response, Italy endured a shaky start, with their innings faltering early following the dismissals of key players Alexia Kontopirakis and Methnara Rathnayake.

With the chase in danger, Sims anchored the innings with an unbeaten 61 off 52 balls, striking nine fours to guide Italy to victory and as a result, picking up player of the match.

Her knock proved decisive as Italy recovered from early setbacks to chase down the target and seal a hard-fought 4-wicket win.

Wednesday, April 22 fixtures

Rwanda vs Nepal 9:00 AM (Gahanga main Oval)

Italy vs USA 1:00 AM (Gahanga main Oval)