The Nigerian women’s cricket team on Sunday in Kigali, Rwanda won Africa’s sole ticket to the U-19 ICC Women’s World Cup in Malaysia in February next year.
At the International Cricket Council U-19 Africa qualifiers concluded at the Gahangha Cricket Stadium in the Rwandan capital, Nigeria won the final game against Zimbabwe after the match was washed out in the second inning.
The officials also adjudged Nigeria the sole African representative at the forthcoming competition.
“The final has been washed out at Gahanga 2 Oval, Kigali, and Nigeria qualifies for the 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup in Malaysia as they topped the group and remained unbeaten,” the council announced on Sunday.
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Uyi Akpata, president of Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), while reacting to the country’s World Cup qualification, described the development as a reward for the hard work and tenacity by the Nigerian camp at the Kigali event.
“The players deserve kudos for their boldness and dedication to this project. The federation’s board members as well as the coaches and the technical team have also been fantastic,” Akpata said.
The NCF president said the team would resume preparation for the World Cup immediately while seeking support of the stakeholders to ensure a successful World Cup.
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“The World Cup is a bigger task for which we will need more resources and a robust plan to run a successful campaign,” he also said.
Nigeria’s road to qualification was replete with wins over Tanzania and Zimbabwe by four wickets and one wicket respectively before overrunning Malawi by 86 runs to top Group B.
In the semi-final on Saturday, Nigeria also beat host Rwanda by 62 runs to set up the second encounter with Zimbabwe in the final encounter that was washed out.
For the World Cup, Nigeria is in Group C alongside New Zealand, South Africa and Samoa.
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