Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens are brimming with confidence ahead of their debut at the ICC U-19 Women’s World Cup in Malaysia, thanks to their successful warm-up matches against Pakistan and Scotland.
The team wrapped up their pre-tournament preparation with a dominant seven-wicket victory over 14th-ranked Scotland on Wednesday, following a narrow defeat to eighth-ranked Pakistan on Tuesday.
Head coach Sarah Bhakita noted that the warm-up games provided valuable lessons, which the team plans to put into practice during the tournament, beginning with their opening match against fellow debutants Samoa on Saturday.
In a thrilling encounter at the UKM Oval in Bangi, Nigeria gave Pakistan a tough challenge, restricting them to 105/6 through disciplined bowling.
During their chase, Nigeria started strong with 79/1 after 16 overs. However, Pakistan’s Quratulain (2/9 in 4 overs) produced an exceptional spell that halted Nigeria’s progress, leaving them just 11 runs short at 94/6.
Nigeria bounced back in style against Scotland, delivering a solid performance at the Royal Selangor Club on Wednesday, wrapping up a comfortable win in just 11.3 overs.
Lillian Udeh starred with the ball, helping Nigeria bowl out Scotland for just 62 runs in 17.5 overs.
Captain Lucky Piety led the charge with the bat, finishing unbeaten on 28 off 16 balls, including three sixes, while Victory Igbinedion, who also impressed against Pakistan, added a steady 25 runs to seal the victory.
Despite the impressive win, Coach Bhakita emphasized that the team is focused on performing even better in the upcoming World Cup matches.
“The warm-up matches have hinted at what we should expect at the tournament proper. Game-winning builds confidence, and we hope to perform better in the coming games,” Bhakita shared with the NCF Media in Malaysia.
Nigeria’s campaign kicks off on Saturday with their opening game against Samoa, followed by matches against New Zealand on Monday, January 20, and South Africa two days later.
