African Games: Nigeria women beat Uganda to clinch bronze in cricket

The Nigerian women’s cricket team on Wednesday beat their Ugandan counterparts by 3 wickets to pick the bronze medal at the ongoing All Africa Games in Ghana.

Nigeria was the least ranked of the eight teams that the International Cricket Council (ICC) Africa put forward to take part in the maiden outing of cricket at the continental sports fiesta.

Beating highly ranked Uganda in the third-place match complimented the team’s earlier accomplishment of dismissing Namibia with 55 runs in the group game.

After winning the toss, the Nigerian women had opted to bowl first, showcasing exceptional bowling prowess that saw them restricting Uganda to a modest total of 76 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs.

The Nigerian innings commenced with an early stumble, losing three wickets within the first three overs. However, a resilient partnership between Salome Sunday and Abigail Igbobie steadied the ship, guiding the team to 58 runs for 5 wickets in 16.2 overs. Despite facing tense moments, Lucky Piety’s composure, coupled with her crucial partnership with Salome, propelled Nigeria to a thrilling victory.

In a heart-stopping climax, Nigeria required 7 runs from 6 deliveries to seal a historic win with 3 wickets to spare. Piety dispersed the first 2 balls for back-to-back boundaries, sending the Nigeria dug-out into euphoria and the Uganda bench to utter shock and disbelief.

Salome’s stellar performance earned her the well-deserved player of the match award, encapsulating her pivotal role in Nigeria’s bronze medal triumph.

Zimbabwe won gold at the event after beating South Africa in a super over. The two teams tied with 112 runs apiece in 20 overs on the Achimota Senior Secondary School A Field in Accra.

Nigeria’s men’s team watched from the bench with their coach Steve Tikolo. Their African Games campaign will begin with an encounter against Tanzania on Sunday.