Kenya beat Rwanda 144 to 139 in their opening match of the ILT20 African Continental Cup on Tuesday. The hosts, who finished second in the table with one win and two points, could not hold off the visitors. Kenya move to the top of the standings on the back of that victory.
The result sees Kenya take first place, while Rwanda remain in second. Both sides sit on two points after their single game so far. The margin of five runs was tight enough to keep things interesting right through to the end.
Rwanda had shown mixed form recently, with results including a heavy 204-110 win over Botswana and a narrow 102-101 victory against Malawi. They also suffered a 92-93 defeat to Zambia and a 130-131 loss in another encounter with the same opposition.
Kenya's recent record tells a different story. They beat Sierra Leone 192-137 on their most recent outing, but have had mixed results against Bahrain, including a 206-273 loss and a 255-250 win. Their 149-148 victory and 144-159 defeat complete a pattern of close games.
What this means is that Kenya now lead the table, with Rwanda trailing by one position. Both teams have played one match and won it, but the goal difference and net run rate will determine the hierarchy. The next round of fixtures will decide whether this gap holds.