Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens have taken an important first step towards the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup after defeating Uganda U-19 Women by four wickets in their opening Africa Qualifier Division 1 match in Tanzania.
The victory puts Nigeria in a strong early position in a competition where finishing among the top two teams in their group is enough to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Nigeria will face Malawi today, Monday, August 31, before closing their group campaign against hosts Tanzania on Wednesday, September 2. A strong finish in those matches would move the young Nigerians closer to their target of returning to the World Cup after their record-breaking appearance in Malaysia last year.
Against Uganda, Nigeria’s bowlers set the tone by restricting their opponents to 59 for seven in 20 overs after Uganda won the toss and chose to bat.
Shadiah Gilingish Nabulime led Uganda’s scoring with 22 runs from 34 balls, while Jimia Abdallah Mohamed made 13 from 25 deliveries.
Chisom Okpe was Nigeria’s most economical bowler, taking two wickets for only four runs in her four overs. Peace Usen also claimed two wickets, conceding 12 runs.
Needing 60 to win, Nigeria appeared to have the chase under control before Uganda’s Tino Sarah produced a remarkable spell. She claimed five wickets for 13 runs in four overs, including two maiden overs, and turned a seemingly comfortable chase into a tense contest.
Nigeria’s batters responded with composure. Omosigho Eguakun top-scored for the side with a patient 24 from 29 balls, while captain Christabel Chukwuonye added a brisk 13 from 10 deliveries, including three boundaries. Their contributions helped Nigeria complete the chase with four wickets remaining.
Should the Junior Female Yellow Greens finish in the top two of their group, they will advance to the semi-finals against one of the qualifiers from Group B, which contains Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
The tournament winner will join South Africa as Africa’s representatives at the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. South Africa already have one of the continent’s qualification places after finishing among the top four teams at the previous edition, won by India.
For Nigeria, the focus now shifts to Malawi, with another victory capable of strengthening their route to the semi-finals and keeping their World Cup hopes moving forward.
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