Cricket: Nigeria beat New Zealand, claim first U-19 Women’s W’Cup win

 Nigeria Stuns New Zealand in Historic U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Victory

Nigeria’s U-19 women’s cricket team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, achieved a stunning victory over New Zealand, a Test-playing nation, by two runs in their debut match at the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia.

The landmark game took place on Monday at the Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak.

Following a washed-out opening match against Samoa on Saturday, Nigeria’s young stars were eager to take the field. However, their game against New Zealand faced a two-hour delay due to a damp pitch.

Match Summary

Winning the toss, New Zealand chose to field first in the shortened 13-over match. Nigeria suffered an early setback but found a leader in captain Lucky Piety, who struck the team’s first-ever World Cup six. New Zealand fought back, taking two quick wickets and leaving Nigeria at 28 for three after the powerplay.

Lilian Ude added 19 vital runs, while Omosigho Eguakun hit a four off the last ball to push Nigeria’s total to 66 runs for six wickets in 13 overs.

Nigeria’s Bowling Heroics

Defending a modest total, the Junior Yellow Greens put on a brilliant bowling display. Peace Usen made an immediate impact, taking Nigeria’s first-ever World Cup wicket on the very first ball, running out Kate Irwin. Soon after, Emma McLeod was dismissed for just three runs.

New Zealand’s Eve Wolland and Anika Todd attempted to stabilize the innings, but Piety and Shola Adekunle struck at crucial moments to shift momentum back to Nigeria.

With Ude bowling a disciplined final over, conceding only six runs, and securing a last-ball run-out, Nigeria sealed a memorable victory over the highly favored New Zealand side.

Key Performances and Tournament Standings

Captain Lucky Piety was named Player of the Match for her game-changing performance, scoring 18 runs off 22 balls and taking one wicket for eight runs in three overs.

With this victory, Nigeria moves to second place in Group C with three points, behind South Africa, who secured their second win after defeating Samoa by 10 wickets.

Nigeria and South Africa will now face off on Wednesday in a crucial match to determine the group’s top spot, with both teams in a strong position to advance to the Super 6 stage.