Cricket: Nigeria’s U19 women team seals 2025 World Cup spot
Nigeria’s U-19 women’s cricket team, the Junior Female Greens, have qualified for the 2025 ICC U-19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia after winning the Africa Qualifier Division 1 title in Kigali, Rwanda, on Sunday.
The team secured a spot at the tournament after rain disrupted Zimbabwe’s innings in the final at the Gahanga Cricket Oval, meaning that Nigeria finished top of the qualifier with an unbeaten run.
It’s the second time Nigeria will qualify for any cricket World Cup, the first being the men’s U-19 team, who also defied the odds to qualify for their World Cup in South Africa in 2019.
Sunday’s final was Nigeria and Zimbabwe’s second at the tournament, and a nail-biting one-wicket win for Nigeria in the group stages had set the tone for a difficult game against the test-playing nation.
Captain Lucky Piety won the toss for Nigeria and elected to bat first, and that decision proved decisive for the team as they struggled with the bowling of the Zimbabweans.
Victory Igbinedion’s 23 runs from 18 balls were Nigeria’s most prolific in the first innings, showing how difficult it was for the team to post their 77 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.
While Zimbabwe were up for a good chase in the second innings, posting 19 runs for the loss of one wicket in 2.3 overs, the rains came down at the venue, and Nigeria won the game as a result.
Nigeria will play in Group C at the tournament alongside New Zealand, South Africa, and Samoa.
The 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be played from January 18 to February 2, 2025, is the second edition of the tournament with India as the defending champions.
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