At simply 15 years previous, Fanny Utagushimaninde is already etching her identify into the historical past of ladies’s cricket.
The Rwandan batting sensation introduced herself on the worldwide stage throughout the Nigeria Invitational Ladies’s T20I Match in March 2026, producing a record-breaking innings that instantly drew consideration throughout the cricket world.
Dealing with Ghana in Lagos, Fanny smashed an unbeaten 111 off 65 balls, changing into the primary lady to attain a century on T20I debut. At 15 years and 223 days, she additionally turned the youngest participant in girls’s T20I historical past to succeed in 100.
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It was greater than a private milestone — it was an announcement for Rwandan girls’s cricket.
“It feels very, very wonderful,” she advised Instances Sport. “I’m proud to make historical past and contribute to Rwanda girls’s cricket in a constructive manner.”
A expertise formed by ardour
Utagushimaninde’s cricket journey started on the age of 9, impressed by her household and rising curiosity for the sport.
“My brothers have been already all in favour of cricket and seeing them play impressed me to start out too,” she stated. “What pushes me to follow is my ardour for the sport and the dream of representing Rwanda at a better stage.”
That keenness is already translating into sturdy numbers. In simply 11 T20Is, she has scored 227 runs, with a highest rating of 111 not out, averaging 25.22 and placing at over 112 — figures that spotlight each expertise and composure on the crease.
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Calm underneath stress
Behind the rise, {the teenager} admits the journey has not been with out challenges.
“Sure, in fact, balancing research and coaching on the identical time, lack of sufficient tools and different points have been robust,” she stated.
Nonetheless, her on-field maturity continues to face out.
“I attempt to keep centered, belief my expertise and hold believing in myself. I remind myself to remain calm and play one ball at a time.”
Throughout her historic innings, she stated perception really kicked in after reaching her half-century.
“Once I handed 50 runs and was nonetheless on the crease, it boosted my confidence and I began feeling I might go farther.”
Her momentum continued by the ICC Ladies’s Problem Trophy in Kigali, the place Rwanda impressed towards sturdy sides together with the USA, Nepal, Italy and Vanuatu.
“We had a really nice event general. The staff confirmed self-discipline, preventing spirit and teamwork,” she stated. “It confirmed Rwanda can compete at a excessive stage.”
Impressed by a world star
Like many younger cricketers, Fanny appears as much as Indian star Virat Kohli.
“He conjures up me due to his mindset, consistency and fervour for the sport.”
But at the same time as she attracts inspiration from international icons, Fanny is already changing into one herself — particularly for younger ladies in Rwanda aspiring to play cricket.
“I would like them to imagine in themselves and by no means be afraid to chase their goals. With onerous work and self-discipline, something is feasible,” she stated.
Rwanda’s brilliant future
Past particular person brilliance, she believes Rwanda’s girls’s staff is getting into a brand new and promising period, crediting captain Diane Bimenyimana for fostering perception and unity.
“She is an excellent chief — supportive and galvanizing. She at all times encourages us to imagine in ourselves and struggle for the staff in each scenario.”
For Rwanda, her emergence represents greater than only a rising star. It alerts the early rewards of rising funding in girls’s cricket and the arrival of expertise able to competing on the worldwide stage.
And at simply 15, this will likely solely be the start.
