W’Cup Qualifiers: Nigeria U-19 girls face Rwanda in semi-final

Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens will face Rwanda in the semi-finals of the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier on Thursday (today), after completing a perfect Group A campaign with a 57-run victory over hosts Tanzania

The Nigerians topped Group A with six points from three matches and will now take on Rwanda, who finished second in Group B, with a place in the final and a ticket to the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Nepal and Bangladesh at stake.

Nigeria secured their semi-final berth after posting 133 for seven in 20 overs before restricting Tanzania to 76 for eight at the NTS, TCA Cricket Arena.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, Nigeria were led by Player of the Match Omosigho Eguakun, who struck a composed 50 off 46 balls, including seven boundaries.

Eguakun provided the foundation for Nigeria’s total before Peace Usen added 32 off 35 balls, with four boundaries. Deborah Bassey then supplied a late boost with 14 off eight deliveries.

Nigeria’s bowlers subsequently ensured Tanzania never threatened the target.

Chisom Okpe claimed two wickets for 14 runs in four overs, while Jennifer Godwin produced the best figures of the innings with two for nine from two overs.

Shola Adekunle also impressed with one wicket for nine runs in four overs, including a maiden, while Glory Idiahi took one for four.

Tanzania captain Saumu Hussein top-scored with 29 off 40 balls, while Rahma Yahaya made 21, but the hosts struggled to build any sustained momentum against Nigeria’s disciplined attack.

The victory followed Nigeria’s four-wicket win over Uganda and a dominant victory over Malawi, giving the Junior Female Yellow Greens a 100 per cent record in Group A.

Rwanda now stand between Nigeria and a place in the final, where a victory would put the young Nigerians one step closer to securing another World Cup appearance.

In the other semi-final, Zimbabwe will face Uganda, with the winners of both matches meeting in the final to determine who qualifies for the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

Nigeria are bidding for back-to-back World Cup appearances after the U-19 girls made history at last year’s tournament in Malaysia, where they finished sixth.