Nigeria’s women’s U-19 cricket team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, has secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 2025 ICC Women’s T20 U-19 World Cup Africa Qualifier (Division 1), where they will face East African rivals Rwanda on Saturday.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens cemented their top spot in Group B with a convincing 86-run victory over Malawi on Wednesday, finishing the group stage with a game to spare. The win sets up a thrilling last-four clash against Rwanda, who finished second in Group A.
In their match against Malawi at the Gahanga 2 Oval, Nigerian captain Lucky Piety won the toss for the first time in the competition and elected to bat. The decision paid off as Nigeria posted 147 runs for four wickets in the first innings. Malawi’s bowling efforts were highlighted by the dismissal of four Nigerian batters, but their chase was stifled by Nigeria’s strong bowling attack.
Nigeria restricted Malawi to 61 runs for 10 wickets in 18.1 overs, with captain Piety, Peace Usen, and Kehinde Amusa each claiming two wickets.
Rwanda, Nigeria’s semi-final opponent, has had a strong tournament run, winning their opening two games and securing a spot in the last four with a game to spare. However, they finished second in their group after losing to Uganda by 46 runs in their final group game.
The semi-final matchups are now set, with Zimbabwe facing Uganda in the second semi-final. The winner of the qualifying tournament will secure Africa’s second ticket to the World Cup in Malaysia, joining South Africa, who booked their spot as one of the top finishers from the last World Cup.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens will look to continue their impressive form as they face Rwanda in the semi-finals. A wn would bring them one step closer to securing a spot in the World Cup.
