Nigeria’s Junior Female YellowGreens will battle Rwanda on Thursday for a place in the final of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Tanzania.
The Nigerian girls go into the semi-final full of confidence after completing a perfect Group A campaign with a 57-run victory over hosts Tanzania on Wednesday.
The win at the NTS, TCA Cricket Arena saw the YellowGreens finish top of Group A with six points after winning all three of their matches.
Nigeria won the toss and elected to bat, scoring 133 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs before restricting Tanzania to 76 for eight in their allotted 20 overs.
Omosigho Eguakun was the star of the Nigerian innings, scoring 50 off 46 balls, including seven boundaries, to provide the foundation for the team’s competitive total.
Peace Usen also made a valuable contribution with 32 off 35 balls, while Deborah Bassey added a quick 14 from eight balls as Nigeria finished strongly. Eguakun’s impressive performance earned her the Player of the Match award. With 134 runs required for victory, Nigeria’s bowlers maintained the pressure throughout Tanzania’s innings.
Chisom Okpe claimed two wickets for 14 runs in four overs, while Jennifer Godwin was particularly economical, taking two wickets for nine runs from her two overs.
Shola Adekunle also produced an impressive spell, taking one wicket for nine runs in four overs, including a maiden over, while Glory Idiahi claimed one wicket for four runs.
Tanzania struggled to build meaningful partnerships, with captain Saumu Hussein top-scoring with 29 off 40 balls and Rahma Yahaya making 21.
The victory completed a strong group-stage campaign for the YellowGreens, who have demonstrated different qualities in each of their three matches.
Nigeria began with a narrow four-wicket win over Uganda before producing a dominant performance against Malawi. They then showed composure and discipline to overcome hosts Tanzania in what was expected to be their toughest group game.
The unbeaten run has placed Nigeria in a strong position heading into the knockout stage, but the young YellowGreens know that Thursday’s semi-final against Rwanda presents a different challenge. Rwanda finished second in Group B and will be determined to halt Nigeria’s impressive run and secure a place in the final.
For Nigeria, victory would not only guarantee a place in the final but also take them one step closer to their ultimate objective of qualifying for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Source: Sports Archives – New Telegraph
