RWA vs GHA 1st T20I match prediction 18 Aug 2021

RWA vs GHA 1st T20I Predictions & Betting Tips

Rwanda will take on Ghana in the first of five T20 internationals at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The African nations have suffered terribly in the global pandemic and will be looking for much needed respite through the game we all love. Find out the best Ghana tour of Rwanda betting tips arising from my RWA vs GHA match prediction down below.

After a long hiatus from international cricket, not out of choice but compulsion, the cricketing players of Rwanda and Ghana will take the field once again donning national colours. The pandemic has extracted a large price from the two countries, cricket and otherwise. Severely lacking funds as it is during regular course of business, the global shutdown over the last two years has landed Ghana and Rwanda in even worse financial trouble.

However, in an inspiring story, the two teams have resolutely cleared all obstacles to finally play out a five match T20 international series in Rwanda.

Not so long ago, the host nation was ravaged by one of the worst genocides in history. It has since been slowly building back up, with young men and women resorting to the sport as a means of escape. Now, after a global effort supported by the likes of Brian Lara, Heather Knight and James Cameron, the country has finally erected a stadium capable of hosting international matches. The men’s team is all set to make their much awaited full ICC debut there when they play Ghana.

Thus, regardless of result, the match would mark a new era in Rwanda’s relatively young cricketing history. On that note, here are my top betting tips from the RWA vs GHA match prediction.

RWA vs GHA Team Bet:

Considering the obscure nature of the series, very few websites will be offering bets on the Ghana tour of Rwanda. Even so, the winner's bet is a highly viable option available for you from the RWA vs GHA match prediction.

Ghana expected to coast against newcomers

Both the teams are expected to be a bit rusty considering the long period of inaction. Nevertheless, Ghana would be relatively much fresher, prepared and experienced for the challenge compared to the host nation.

The last time Rwanda played an international cricket match was on July 14, 2018 when they took on Tanzania. The fixture was their sixth and final outing in the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers’ Eastern sub region. The team had ended up losing all of its matches and rather humiliatingly. It ended the tournament with a negative net run rate of 4.887, almost four and a half points worse than the team above them.

Ghana were participating in the qualifiers as well, playing in the North-Western sub region. They performed remarkably well to rack up five victories and a no result from their six encounters, thus qualifying to the next round whilst being unbeaten.

With ICC granting official status to all T20Is played January 2019 onwards, this gave Ghana a chance to make their full ICC debut in the ensuing regional finals. Even though they failed to win any games, the players received valuable match experience and the chance to play much stronger teams such as Kenya and Namibia. It also meant the team’s last international match came on May 23, 2019, significantly later than their upcoming opponents.

The difference in quality between the two teams is very apparent. For instance, Rwanda’s highest ever ranking in the T20I charts was 75th. Ghana on the other hand were placed almost fifty spots higher not so long ago, with the May 2019 rankings placing them at an impressive 28th.

The visitors have regularly participated in African leagues for many years now, even playing in the continent’s T20 Championship Division One in 2015. They put up an impressive showing in their debut, defeating the likes of previous-champions Uganda to finish a respectable fourth.

All in all, Rwanda is still climbing the first few steps of its international journey and will be largely focused on gaining practice and experience through these matches. They have a long way to go before they establish themselves as one of the premier cricketing nations in Africa. The focus thus will be on the process rather than the results. As inspiring a story as Rwanda’s is, they are the clear underdogs in this five match T20I series. Consequently, I pick Ghana to run away with the match in today’s RWA vs GHA match prediction. Cash in on the opportunity by capitalizing on Dafabet’s odds of 1.50 for the aforementioned result.