The marquee final fixture of the tournament lived up to every ounce of its billing, with Rwanda edging hosts Botswana by just 2 runs in a heart-stopping thriller at BCA Oval 1 to complete an unbeaten campaign and confirm their place at the top of the table. Batting first, Rwanda were restricted to 117/8 from their 20 overs by a sustained Botswana bowling effort. Hamza Khan top-scored with 23 off 23 balls (3 fours), and there were valuable contributions from Oscar Manishimwe (21 off 24), captain Didier Ndikubwimana (19 off 15) and the lower-order duo of Martin Akayezu (19 off 14) and Emile Rukiriza (16 off 10, 1 four, 1 six). Brandon Van Zyl was the pick of the Botswana bowlers with 3/23 from 4 overs, while Dhruvkumar Maisuria took 2/11 and Boemo Kgosiemang, Nabil Master and Katlo Piet claimed a wicket apiece in a fine team effort. In what looked a chaseable target, Botswana’s reply was anchored by captain Karabo Motlhanka, who batted with great composure for 40 off 38 balls (4 fours, 1 six). However, Rwanda’s bowlers struck at regular intervals, with Yves Cyusa (2/31) and Martin Akayezu (2/24) leading the charge. ALSO READ: Rwanda beat Sierra Leone to keep flawless World Cup qualifying ... Wickets through the middle order, including Monroux Kasselman (10), Valentine Mbazo (5) and Thatayaone Tshose (4), left Botswana needing a late surge. With the match in the balance, Dhruvkumar Maisuria launched a remarkable late assault, blasting an unbeaten 16 off just 5 balls to keep Botswana’s hopes alive until the very last ball. Nabil Master (11 off 14) and Brandon Van Zyl (11 off 7) also contributed, but Botswana fell agonisingly short on 115/8 from their 20 overs, losing by just 2 runs. Ignace Ntirenganya (1/18), Emile Rukiriza (1/9) and Muhammad Nadir (1/19) completed the Rwanda bowling effort in a contest that went down to the final delivery. The result meant that Rwanda and Kenya qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier 2027. Martin Akayezu was named Player of the Match for his all-round display of 19 (14b) with the bat and 2/24 from 4 overs with the ball. Final Standings Rwanda — 12 points (Qualified) Kenya — 10 points (Qualified) Botswana — 8 points Cameroon — 6 points Mali — 4 points Sierra Leone — 4 points Côte d’Ivoire — 0 points
