Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens will take on Rwanda in the semi-finals of the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier today, Thursday. They earned this spot after a perfect run in Group A, winning against hosts Tanzania by 57 runs, as reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
Nigeria finished first in Group A, collecting six points from three matches. They will now face Rwanda, who came second in Group B. The winner will secure a place in the final and a ticket to the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Nepal and Bangladesh.
In their last game, Nigeria set a target of 133 runs for seven wickets in 20 overs. They then restricted Tanzania to 76 runs for eight wickets at the NTS, TCA Cricket Arena.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Nigeria was led by Omosigho Eguakun, who was named Player of the Match. She scored a solid 50 runs off 46 balls, hitting seven boundaries in the process.
Eguakun set the stage for Nigeria's score, while Peace Usen contributed 32 runs off 35 balls, including four boundaries. Deborah Bassey added a late boost with 14 runs off eight balls.
Nigeria’s bowlers kept Tanzania from posing a real threat to their total. Chisom Okpe took two wickets for 14 runs in four overs, while Jennifer Godwin had the best bowling figures with two wickets for nine runs in just two overs.
Shola Adekunle also did well, picking up one wicket for nine runs in four overs, including a maiden over. Glory Idiahi contributed with one wicket for four runs.
Tanzania's captain Saumu Hussein was the highest scorer for her team, making 29 runs off 40 balls. Rahma Yahaya scored 21 runs, but the Tanzanian team struggled to find any rhythm against Nigeria’s strong bowling.
This victory came after Nigeria’s four-wicket win over Uganda and a commanding win against Malawi, giving the Junior Female Yellow Greens a perfect record in Group A.
Now, Rwanda stands between Nigeria and a place in the final. A win would bring the young Nigerians closer to another World Cup appearance.
In the other semi-final, Zimbabwe will play against Uganda. The winners of both matches will face each other in the final to see who qualifies for the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Nigeria aims for back-to-back World Cup appearances after the U-19 girls made history last year in Malaysia, finishing in sixth place.
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