Nepal Women claimed their second win at the ICC Women's Challenge Trophy in Rwanda after beating the hosts by two wickets in a dramatic low-scoring thriller at Gahanga Oval B in Kigali.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Rwanda were bowled out for 88 in 19.4 overs. Nepal then looked set for a comfortable chase after racing to 51 without loss, but a stunning collapse turned the game into a thriller before Rachana Chaudhary finished it in the final over.
Nepal had cruised through the opening stand as Samjhana Khadka and Bindu Rawal added 51 in 8.5 overs. Bindu made 10 off 21 balls before falling lbw, while Samjhana played the key innings at the top with 48 off 42 balls, hitting seven fours. Vice-captain Puja Mahato added 13 off 20 balls.
But Nepal lost seven wickets for just 12 runs in the space of 39 balls and slipped to 86 for 8 before the last over. Needing three to win, Rachana took two runs off the second ball to level the scores and then struck the winning run off the fourth ball as Nepal reached the target in 19.4 overs.
Earlier, Rachana had also led the bowling effort with 3 wickets for 12 runs in 3 overs. Puja Mahato and Kabita Kunwar picked up 2 wickets each, while Manisha Upadhyaya and Riya Sharma claimed one apiece as Nepal kept Rwanda's batting in check throughout the innings.
For Rwanda, Alice Ikuzwe top-scored with 17, Merveille Uwase made 15, Clarisse Uwamahoro scored 13 and Rosine Irera added 12, but none of the batters were able to build a decisive innings.
The win was Nepal's second of the tournament. They had beaten Italy by 50 runs in their previous outing after opening their campaign with a 44-run defeat to the United States. Rwanda had come into the match on top after edging the USA by one run.
