It took a Super Over, for Ghana to beat Rwanda by 3 runs in a very exciting game on Thursday, October 5, 2023 at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval on Day two of the West Africa Trophy.
Rwanda scored 121/7 in the first innings after they won toss and saw captain Samson Awe Awiah take 4-0-21-2, while Rwandan Hamza Khan scored 45(46).
The excitement of the game really begun in the second innings when Ghana needed to score 122 runs from 120 balls. James Vifah 4(3) and Alex Osei 12(29) started this time and things were not going well, as Vifah fell early for Vice Obed Harvey to take over. Rwanda enjoyed more dots as Osei was caged but he came out with a big hit, scoring 6 in the 8.5 over and pushing Ghana to 34/2 before falling on the 9th over.
It looked a difficult task as the game progresses but a good partnership between Joseph Theodore 18(9) and Kelvin Awala 23(14) which produced 35 runs, gave Ghana great hope as they gradually reduce the required runs from the number of balls left to 26-18. Godfred Bakiweyem and Michael Aboagye came to continue, pushing for 2 runs per ball, after both Kelvin and Joseph fell in the 18th Over, with Ghana standing at 111/8 at 19overs.
More double runs from each ball continued but Michael fell on the 19,3 over, paving way for the last batter, Kofi Bagabena who scored a boundary 4 from the second ball and tied the game at 121/9 in 19.5 overs. His reach however for another boundary when Ghana needed just a run from the last ball was caught behind, sending the game into a Super Over (Ghana 121/10).
Ghana sent in Theodore and Godfred and they managed 6 runs from spinner Muhammed Nadir who got 3 dots from Joseph in the beginning. 6 runs from 6 balls looked too small for a Super Over as Rwanda also sent in Tuyisenge and eventual player of the Match Kevin Iraoke. Here came Michael Aboagye whose second ball got Iraoke out and gave away 3 runs as at the 5th ball saw Hamza Khan’s reach for a boundary caught by Daniel Anefie.
Ghana won the Super Over by 3 runs and will prepare for a showdown against host Nigeria on Friday morning at 10am.
Captain of Ghana’s Senior Men’s Team, Samson Awe Awiah says Cricket won at the end of the day.
“I think what we just did was to play alongside how the conditions are. You might be a good player but the conditions tell a lot. We want to always be better than our previous matches, because we need to follow the pitch, like I said and keep getting better. We expect a very nice game because Ghana Nigeria, we are neighbors and when we play, the whole World wants to watch and it is going to be a fun game. Today was a nice game and I was happy it went into the super over because when it happens like this, Cricket wins. So, we are happy, the tension and all that comes with it.”
Ghana started the West Africa trophy with a 3 wickets victory over Sierra Leone on opening Day yesterday and would look to beat their bitter rivals Nigeria, who earlier today beat Sierra Leone by 63 runs.
Ghana in August 2021 went on a bilateral tournament in Rwanda and won it by 3-2 after a 7 wickets victory in the final game. They will play Rwanda 2 more times before a semi final showdown in the 4-nation Dafabet sponsored West Africa Trophy in Lagos.
By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey
