By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria on Monday stunned cricket giants New Zealand to claim victory in their first-ever completed ICC Women’s U19 World Cup game.
The match, seen by many as a battle of underdogs and giants, was delayed for about two hours due to heavy downpour before the Nigerian girls shocked one of the tournament’s top favourites in Malaysia.
Making their ICC Women’s U19 World Cup debut, the Nigerians had to wait for an opportunity after their contest with Samoa on Saturday was abandoned due to rain.
Wet weather once again threatened proceedings in Sarawak, but the African nation made the most of their chances once it was confirmed there would be play, albeit a reduced contest of 13 overs each.
How the Action Panned Out
Nigeria scored 65-6 batting first, before producing an energetic display in the field that continued to build pressure on New Zealand’s run chase.
The Kiwis were 57-5, needing nine runs with one over to go, but tight bowling from Lilian Ude ensured they fell short, finishing two runs shy of Nigeria’s total.
The historic victory over New Zealand has now put the Nigerian girls in pole position to top Group C standings.
