The Junior Yellow Greens of Nigeria defeated New Zealand by two runs to earn their first victory at the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia on Monday.
Nigeria’s first match of the tournament against Samoa on Saturday was abandoned before the toss due to an unplayable wet outfield. Both teams were awarded one point apiece.
Again on Monday, the clash was delayed for two hours due to rain, but the Junior Yellow Greens produced an impressive performance to boost their chances of qualifying for the semi-final of the tournament.
New Zealand elected to field first, sending the Nigerian batters into the crease.
The captain of the team, Lucky Piety, recorded Nigeria’s first six at a Women’s World Cup in a steady innings as the Junior Yellow Greens finished with 65 runs for the loss of six wickets in 13 overs.
The players took the second inning slow and steady and eventually knocked off the fourth-ranked nation for 63 runs for the loss of six wickets as well.
President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has backed the team to surpass expectations in Malaysia.
He said, “We are here to announce ourselves to the world and make Nigeria proud.
“Our participation is on the back of six to seven years of hard work and deep grassroots developmental work. Some of the efforts even earned us global awards.
“The girls know what is expected and the support from everyone back home will see us go far. I am confident in our abilities.”
The top three teams from the four groups will proceed into the Super 6 stage, where they will be drawn into two groups of six teams, and the top two from each group will play the semi-finals.
Nigeria will be back in action against South Africa on Wednesday.
