Rwanda vs Nigeria, ACTC, Today Match Prediction 04 December 2024

RWA vs NIG Match Prediction & Analysis

Rwanda square off against Nigeria in the tournament opener of the Africa Continental Cup 2024 hosted by Rwanda on Wednesday, 4th December. The match is slated to be played at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium.

Rwanda last played in the Sub-regional African Qualifiers Group B, where they finished the tournament fourth, winning three of the five matches played. Nigeria, who also last appeared in the Sub-regional African Qualifiers, placed in Group C and finished the tournament at the top with five wins in five matches.

When it comes to the head-to-head record, Rwanda has never defeated Nigeria in T20 Internationals. In the five T20I matches played, Nigeria won four. Out of these four wins, two came while batting first and two while bowling first. One match ended in no result. Isaac Danladi, with 94 runs in three innings, is the top run-scorer, and Peter Aho and Chiemelie Udekwe, with six wickets each, are the top wicket-takers in the head-to-head matches between these teams.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

RWA

NIG

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Rwanda Preview

The home team Rwanda enters this contest on the back of some relatively quiet outings in recent times, where the results have not gone in their favor, resulting in them winning only two of their last five T20Is. In their last T20I outing against Seychelles, Rwanda won the match by 73 runs. In the African Sub-regional tournament, Didier Ndikubwimana scored 74 runs in four matches and was the top scorer. So far in 2024, he has scored 176 runs in 6 matches, striking at 101.73 and smashing two half-centuries. Clinton Rubagumya scored 62 runs in four matches and, so far in 2024, has scored 72 runs and picked up two wickets. In Rwanda, he has 32 wickets to his tally and 385 runs in 39 matches.

In the bowling department, Muhammad Nadir, the slow left-arm orthodox bowler, has been their enforcer, picking up wickets in the middle overs with his guile and deception. He picked up seven wickets in the African Sub-regional qualifiers and has picked up 17 wickets in 15 matches this year. 

To restrict the middle-order batters of Rwanda, Nadir's spell could be game-changing. Zappy Bimenyimana will take the new ball. He has 70 wickets in 78 matches to his tally in T20Is. In 2024, he has picked up 10 wickets in 12 matches and has an economy of 7.52. In home conditions, he has picked 34 wickets in 34 matches. As he bowls in both the 1-4 over and 16-20 over phases, he has more chances of picking up wickets, which could well determine how the bowling innings of Rwanda could go.

Rwanda Predicted Playing XI:

Oscar Manishimwe, Didier Ndikubwimana (wk), Isae Niyomugabo, Daniel Gumyusenge, Yves Cyusa, Clinton Rubagumya (c), Emile Rukiriza, Muhammad Nadir, Israel Mugisha, Zappy Bimenyimana, Ignace Ntirenganya

Rwanda Actual Playing XI:

Daniel Gumyusenge, Orchide Tuyisenge, Martin Akayezu, Muhammad Nadir, Didier Ndikubwimana, Oscar Manishimwe, Emile Rukiriza, Ignace Ntirenganya, Zappy Bimenyimana, Niyomugabo Isaie, Jean Pierre Rukundo

Nigeria Preview

The visitors, led by Sylvester Okpe, have been in the best of form recently, remaining unbeaten in the African regional qualifiers by winning all five matches in Group C and advancing to the next round. Sulaimon Iyiola Runsewe, the 23-year-old batter, was the top scorer in the group, scoring 231 runs in five matches, smashing three half-centuries at a strike rate of 132.75. This year, he has scored 409 runs in 12 matches, averaging 34.08. In the top order, he is the player to watch out for as he is coming into the tournament on the back of some solid performances.

In the middle order, Isaac Danladi has done the majority of the scoring, scoring 208 runs in the last five matches. With the ball, he has picked up eight wickets. What's been impressive is his strike rate, which is at 170.49, and his bowling economy of 3.76, which speaks to how crucial a player he is for Nigeria with both bat and ball. Overall in 2024, the 22-year-old has scored 297 runs and picked up 10 wickets in 10 matches. However, he has never played in Rwanda, which could pose some difficulty in the initial few overs for him to get accustomed to the conditions.

In the bowling department, it's a highly young bowling attack, and Peter Aho, with 50 T20I wickets, is the leader of the attack. Sylvester Ameh Okpe, with 44 T20I wickets, brings in the experience. Both these bowlers will look to shepherd the Nigerian bowling attack and rattle up the Rwanda batting lineup.

Nigeria Predicted Playing XI:

Sulaimon Runsewe (wk), Selim Salau, Olayinka Elijah Olaleye, Ridwan Abdulkareem, Isaac Danladi, Sylvester Okpe (c), Isaac Okpe, Vincent Adewoye, Mohameed Taiwo, Peter Aho, Chiemelie Udekwe

Nigeria Actual Playing XI:

Olayinka Elijah Olaleye, Isaac Danladi, Isaac Okpe, Sylvester Okpe, Selim Salau , Sulaimon Runsewe, Ifeanyichukwu Uboh, Peter Aho, Ridwan Abdulkareem, Taiwo Mohammed, Miracle Akhigbe

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather at Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, Rwanda on Wednesday is expected to be around 22°C to 24°C and Sunny periods with a thunderstorm in spots in the afternoon, with 70% precipitation and 70% humidity. The match could be affected by rain, which could result in delays during the match hours. 

RWA vs NIG Pitch Report

With overcast conditions and rain looming around in the match hours, the conditions will favor the fast bowlers and the swing movement on offer. The surface at Kigali is a balanced track that favors both the batters and bowlers in general, where most of the scores lie in the range of 160-170 runs and are also a winning score. Expect a low-scoring game and the seamers to do most of the damage.

Toss: To Bowl

In the 94 T20 matches played at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium, Rwanda teams batting first won 39 matches, while the teams batting second won 48 matches. Nigeria has played six matches at this venue and managed to win four matches, out of which three matches have been won while bowling first. We predict the team that wins the toss will opt to bowl first. 

Our Toss Prediction - Rwanda to win the toss