Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde etched her name into the record books with a historic performance against Ghana. Competing in the Nigeria Invitational Women’s T20I Tournament at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Lagos, the young batter produced a masterclass that has redefined age-related milestones in international cricket.
Fanny Utagushimaninde busts World Records with stormy ton against Ghana
At only 15 years and 223 days old, Utagushimaninde has officially become the youngest centurion in T20I history. Her explosive innings of 111 runs off just 65 balls, which included 17 boundaries, eclipsed the previous record held by Uganda’s Prosscovia Alako. For comparison, the record in men’s T20I cricket is held by France’s Gustav McKeon, who reached the century mark at 18 years and 280 days, making Utagushimaninde's achievement across all formats even more remarkable.
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In addition to the age record, she became the first player in the history of Women’s T20Is to score a century on debut. This feat breaks a long-standing record held by Australian legend Karen Rolton, who scored an unbeaten 96 on her debut against England in 2005. While a handful of men's players from associate nations have managed debut centuries, Utagushimaninde’s performance stands alone as the highest-ever score by a woman in her first international T20 appearance.
While a small group of men's players, including Canada’s Matthews Spoors and Namibia’s JP Kotze, have achieved the rare feat of scoring a century on their T20I debut, all such instances have occurred among associate nations rather than full-member sides. Fanny Utagushimaninde has now joined this exclusive global club, providing the cornerstone for a dominant collective performance by the Rwanda Women’s team against Ghana.
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Utagushimaninde's blistering 65-ball 111 in Rwanda's win
Batting first, Rwanda amassed a formidable total of 210/3 in their allotted 20 overs. Utagushimaninde was the undisputed star, blazingly reaching 111 runs off 65 deliveries at a strike rate of 170.76. She received steady support from Gisele Ishimwe and Clarisse Uwase, while Merveille Uwase’s brisk 32 and a generous contribution of 25 wides from the Ghanaian bowlers further propelled the score toward an unreachable target.
The run chase proved to be a mountain too high for Ghana, who struggled to build any meaningful partnerships and finished their innings at a mere 88/8. The Rwandan bowling attack was clinical, led by Belise Murekatete, who finished with impressive figures of 3/20. Support from Marie Bimenyimana and Henriette Ishimwe ensured that only Kate Awuah offered any real resistance with a patient 31.