Venasa Adhiambo stars as Kenya take first win over Rwanda in T20 Bilateral Series

Kenya women’s cricket national team began their five-match T20 bilateral series on a bright note after securing a 26-run victory over Rwanda at the Sikh Union Club, Nairobi on Tuesday.

The series, set to be played in five matches, marked the first time the two East African countries were facing off bilaterally, on the backdrop of par results in previous contests across the continent.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the hosts crashed in a total of 97 runs for the loss of nine wickets, a score that immediately put the visitors under pressure going into the second innings.

Rwanda, however, could not fend off the Kenyan bowling attack, as all batters were dismissed after 18 overs, scoring a paltry 71 runs.

The victory for Kenya breaks the two-way head-to-head tie between the two nations, having previously split (4-4) in their last eight competitive matches.

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Kenyan batter Venasa Adhiambo Ooko was voted the game’s player of the match, following her brave outing in the first innings, when she went on to score a team-high 33 runs off 31 balls.

The 26-year-old came onto the crease as the sixth batter to total her highest score in the T20 matches since making her debut in 2019.

Three other Kenyan batters - Melvin Khagoitsa, former skipper Esther Wachira and U19 star Janet Nthenya - all scored in double digits, helping set up a sensational finish with the ball.

Leading the charts in the second innings for Kenya was Queentor Abel, who took four wickets in three overs, while Khagoitsa took a pair in a tremendous showing that had only two Rwandese batters score in double figures.

The two teams meet again on Wednesday for a second and third-match double-header at the same venue.