Nigeria has automatically booked a place in the 2027 Under 19 Women’s World Cup to be hosted by Bangladeshi and Nepal.
Lilian Ude’s three wicked streak also won her the player of the match to set up the second victory over ICC test national after earlier beating New Zealand in the event.
Despite Saturday’s washout against England, Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens are still in contention for a place in the semi-finals of the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens were billed to begin their Super Six campaign against England at the Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak on Saturday, but the game was abandoned as a result of a wet playing surface.
As both sides shared a point in the game, Nigeria are now third in the Super Six Group 2 with three points, needing a win against Ireland in their last game on Wednesday to stand a chance of advancing.
South Africa lead the Super Six group with six points followed by England with four points while Nigeria are third with three points, thanks to a better net run rate than the USA.
Before the tournament, the Nigerian team had set a semi-final target for themselves and their progress into the current stage is no mean feat as well.
They caused an upset in the group stages of the tournament, beating New Zealand by two runs in their second game.
Having played only two games out of a possible four games so far, Nigeria’s win percentage stands at 50%, placing them eighth in the 16-nation tourney.
Defending champions India, Australia and South Africa are the three countries with a 100% win record.
Nigeria’s second Super Six game against Ireland will be played at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi.
After scaling through the group stages of the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia, Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens are aware it’s the least of their target as they dream of reaching the semi-finals on their debut.
Further tests against England and Ireland await them in the Super Six.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens ended their group campaign with a 41-run (DLS method) defeat against South Africa on Wednesday, but their historic two runs win over New Zealand on Monday, as well as the share of points against Samoa was more than enough to see them through as the second-best team in Group C.
Although their last game against South Africa was nervy, they have proven that there are rarely underdogs in cricket, upsetting giants New Zealand in their second game but debut at the tournament. They were initially scheduled to play Samoa in their opening game but that was washed out by the rain.
They finished second in Group C behind South Africa and both teams now form the Group 2 of the Super Six stage.
Head coach of the Nigerian team, Sarah Bakhita, attributed the defeat to South Africa to nervousness which will be addressed before the next stage.
“We started the game well with our bowling. We managed to restrict them to 27 in the first power play which was good. But the rain came and there was pressure when we came in and the girls didn’t manage to hold their nerves well. But that is not an indication of their abilities,” the coach told NCF Media. “We just need to work on helping them to calm their nerves when they are in such situations,” the Kenyan coach said after Wednesday’s game against South Africa.
“I believe in the girls and their capabilities and going into the Super 6, we know that the teams we are facing now are tougher. So, we just have to ensure that we fine-tune things and bounce back with a positive mind-set and attitude. If we get our full points, we will be somewhere.”
Captain Piety Lucky also re-echoed the sentiment of her coach.
“The game against South Africa was amazing. We had a lot of things to learn from the game and lots of positives to take. We will sit and analyse the particular things we have done wrong and also the good part of it.
“We are going into the Super 6 with a very positive mind-set in our camp. We hope with the analysis and corrections we will make, we will have better games and victories in the Super Six.”
Piety has been the brightest of the Nigerian stars in Malaysia but the world is yet to see the best of the Junior Female Yellow Greens. There are incredible talents in the line-up if bringing their `A’ game on the day could upset their opponents.
At age 14, she became the first Nigerian female to score a century in a T20 game. She showed her performance was no fluke when she scored a century in the ICC Africa U-19 Qualifiers in 2022 in Botswana.
In the bronze medal match at the last African Games in Ghana, Piety heaved back-to-back boundaries against very experienced Uganda’s Rita Musamali, in that nail-bitting encounter to secure the bronze medal for the country.
Piety was Player of the Match in Nigeria’s World Cup debut against New Zealand. She scored Nigeria’s first six and contributed with the ball as well.
After earning a cap with the senior team in 2021, she has improved in skill, talent and leadership qualities.
The likes of Lillian Ude, who finished as the best bowler at the Games in Ghana with 8 wickets, also contributed to Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup in Rwanda. She held her nerves while bowling the last over in the win against New Zealand on Monday.
One player to also watch out for is 15-year-old Peace Usen. She is widely regarded as the new kid on the block but her spin can unsettle any batter.
Usen made her debut at the African Games in 2024, with her first ball against Tanzania dismissing big hitter Saum Mtae. She went on to become the player of the match in Nigeria’s famous win against Namibia, earning five wickets in the tournament.
She was handed the ball as Nigeria’s opening bowler in the game against New Zealand, exposing her level of confidence and skill.
The Nigerian team will continue to chase history as they square up against England and Ireland in the Super 6 stage on Saturday, January 25 and Wednesday, January 29 respectively.
Nigeria’s women’s U-19 cricket team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, provided the first shock of the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup , defeating test-playing nation New Zealand by two runs in their first-ever World Cup game at the Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak in Malaysia.
Yesterday’s ‘delayed’ debut against U-19 Women’s Cricket World Cup wasn’t without a delay as the game started two hours behind schedule due to a wet playing surface. Having seen their first game, which was supposed to be against Samoa washed out on Saturday, there was no denying the eager Nigerian girls their shine this time with New Zealand winning the toss and electing to field first in a reduced 13-over match.
Captain Lucky Piety led the charge scoring Nigeria’s first World Cup six, but New Zealand hit back, applying the squeeze and claimed two wickets to see Nigeria slip to 28 for three after the powerplay.
Lilian Ude added 19 runs before a four off the final ball from Omosigho Eguakun saw Nigeria set up New Zealand to chase 66 runs for the loss of six wickets in 13 overs.
Knowing they had to come to the party with their bowling in the second innings, the Junior Yellow Greens hit the gears gradually and took their first World Cup wicket off their first ball by Peace Usen as Kate Irwin was run out without facing before her opening partner Emma McLeod was dismissed for three.
Eve Wolland and Anika Todd scored patiently to steady New Zealand’s innings but their dismissals by Piety and Shola Adekunle gave Nigeria renewed hope to win the match.
Ude bowled a perfect final over, conceding only six runs with a run out on the final ball as Nigeria claimed a special and historic win.
For her game-changing performance which saw her knock of 18 runs off 22 balls and a sharp bowling spell of one wicket for just eight runs in three overs, the captain, Piety, was awarded the Player of The Match award.
Nigeria are now second in Group C with three points, one point adrift of leaders South Africa who brushed aside Samoa by 10 wickets for their second win of the tournament.
Both Nigeria and South Africa are in good positions to advance into the Super 6 stage of the tournament but they will face off tomorrow to decide who finishes on top of the group.
