Eric Dusingizimana
Personal information
Born (1987-03-21) 21 March 1987
BattingRight-handed
RoleBatter
International information
National side
T20I debut (cap 3)18 August 2021 v Ghana
Last T20I15 October 2023 v Nigeria
Career statistics
Competition T20I
Matches 54
Runs scored 962
Batting average 18.86
100s/50s 0/4
Top score 66*
Catches/stumpings 10/0
Source: Cricinfo, 21 November 2023

Eric Dusingizimana (born 21 March 1987) is a Rwandan cricketer and civil engineer who also captained the Rwanda national cricket team.[1] He is also a Guinness World Record holder[2] for his marathon effort in 2016 when he batted for 51 hours non-stop in order to raise funds for the construction of Gahanga International Cricket Stadium.[3][4][5]

Early life

He was born in a family of six siblings. He witnessed the 1994 Rwandan genocide as a six-year-old boy. He along with his family members managed to survive the genocide, which killed more than 600,000 people in Rwanda.[6] He began playing cricket at the age of 18 in 2006 when he was studying in the high school. He idolised AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni when he started playing cricket.[6] He pursued interest in cricket due to the close interrelationship cricket had with the subject combination which he selected for his studies.[7]

Domestic career

Dusingizimana started playing cricket for Right Guards team in 2006. He won the fifty-overs Premier League while playing for Right Guards. He later played for Young Tigers, Impala Titans and Dugout CC. He won the Player of the Tournament Award in the one-day format while playing for Impala Titans in 2010. He also guided the team to the 20-overs title in the same year. He rejoined Right Guards in 2014 and also captained the team.[8][9]

In 2015, he scored a 60-ball hundred for Right Guards against Indorwa at Computer Point 20-over tournament.[10]

International career

He pursued his higher studies at his university in the field of civil engineering. He also graduated in architecture technology. He was selected to the national team in 2008 for the 2008 ICC World Cricket League Africa Region Division Three tournament. He represented Rwanda Under-19s in the 2010 Africa Under-19 Championship Division Two.[11] He was appointed as the captain of the national cricket team in 2011. He also attended the meetings of Rwanda selection committee since being appointed as the captain of the team.[6]

In May 2016, he embarked on a unique mission to support the Rwanda Cricket Association in order to build the first cricket stadium in Rwanda. Eric took it as his dream project with a vision of establishing Rwanda's first ever cricket ground. He batted for about 51 hours continuously at Amaharo Stadium in Remera for more than two days indoors which also attracted huge crowd attention and national attention.[12][13] His attempt was later recognised by the Guinness World Record officials as the world record for the longest individual net session.[14] He began his attempt on 11 May 2016 and was allowed a five-minute break for every hour of his batting session and completed the task on 13 May 2016 at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.[15] He also faced throwdowns from the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair who was on an official visit to Rwanda in order to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa. He also faced deliveries from Julienne Uwacu, Mutesi Jolly, Jimmy Mulis, Andrew Mitchell and William Gelling. His wife apparently bowled the last delivery to him.[16] He broke the world record of India's Virag Mare who batted 50 hours during his marathon efforts Mahahalaxmi Lawns at Karve Nagar in Pune.[17] Prior to this effort, the record was held by English players Dave Newman and Richard Wells who batted for 48 hours at a stretch.[18] Following his marathon effort, he was hailed as a national hero in Rwanda.[19] Rwanda Stadium Cricket Foundation, a charity organisation was set up to raise funds to construct the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium.[20] In June 2016, he travelled to England, spent a week in London and managed to raise £120,000.[21] He was accompanied by English cricketer Joe Root who joined his fundraising trip across England.[22]

He also approached the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees in order to discuss his interest to launch cricket training programs for refugees in Rwanda.[23]

In August 2021, he was named in the Rwandan squad for the home T20I series against Ghana.[24] He made his T20I debut for Rwanda on 18 August 2021, against Ghana, in what was Rwanda's first official T20I.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Eric Dusingizimana profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Rwanda cricket captain Eric Dusingizimana inscribes his name in Guinness World Record". Cricket Country. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "Eric Dusingizimana breaks world cricket batting record". Hiru News. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Man bats for 51 hours straight to set new world record". The Independent. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "Umunyarwanda yaciye umuhigo w'isi mu mukino wa Cricket". BBC News Gahuza (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Meet Eric Dusingizimana: The Engineer who is building future of Cricket in Rwanda". Cricket Country. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Dusingizimana on life as a cricket world record holder". The New Times | Rwanda. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  8. ↑ Isabirye, David (13 May 2016). "Rwandan cricketer breaks Guinness record for longest net session". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Kabeera, Pontian (18 June 2017). "Rwanda: Right Guards' Dusingizimana Eyes Computer Point T20". All Africa. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "Meet Eric Dusingizimana: The Engineer who is building future of Cricket in Rwanda". Latest Sports Updates, Cricket News, Cricket World Cup, Football, Hockey & IPL. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "Rwanda cricketer bats for 51 hours straight to create world record | undefined News - Times of India". The Times of India. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  13. ↑ 51 hours in the nets to build Rwanda's #FieldofDreams, retrieved 18 August 2021
  14. ↑ "Captain bats for 51 straight hours". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  15. ↑ Roy, Rudranil Guha (8 April 2016). "Rwanda's Eric Dusingizimana to attempt longest net practice session world record". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "Watch Rwanda captain Eric Dusingizimana enter Guinness Book of Records in quest for cricket stadium at home". Cricket Country. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  17. ↑ "Dusingizimana's batathon for a Rwandan field of dreams". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Isabirye, David (13 May 2016). "Rwandan cricketer breaks Guinness record for longest net session". Kawowo Sports. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  19. ↑ "Kigali tales". Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  20. ↑ Gheerbrant, James. "One stadium, one nation for the cricketers of post-genocide Rwanda". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Funds Raised for Rwanda's Cricket Stadium". allAfrica.com. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  22. ↑ Hoult, Nick (20 June 2016). "Record-breaking Rwanda captain Eric Dusingizimana rounds off successful fundraising trip with Joe Root". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Guinness World Record holder and Captain of Rwanda's National Cricket Team brings the new sport of cricket to refugee camps in Rwanda". UNHCR Rwanda. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  24. ↑ "Rwanda to host Ghana for T20 bilateral series". The New Times | Rwanda. 8 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "1st T20I, Rwanda, Aug 18 2021, Ghana tour of Rwanda". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
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