After months of preparation, Nigeria’s Women’s U-19 cricket team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, will face Pakistan in a warm-up match on Monday, January 13, ahead of their debut at the 2025 ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup.
The warm-up game will take place at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval in Bangi, Malaysia, at 3:30 pm local time (10:30 pm Nigerian time). Nigeria will play its first official match in the tournament on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
This marks Nigeria’s debut at the Women’s U-19 World Cup, where they are the sole African qualifier, having secured the spot at the African Qualifying series in Kigali in October 2024, defeating strong teams like Zimbabwe and Uganda.
Captain Lucky Piety will lead the team into their first challenge against Pakistan, who are ranked eighth in the world in T20 cricket. Nigeria holds the 26th spot in the T20 rankings.
Uyi Akpata, President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), hailed the World Cup appearance as a milestone for Nigerian cricket and expressed confidence that the team’s preparation would reflect in their performance.
“The girls have had multiple camp sessions since their qualification in October, with their final camp held in India before traveling to Malaysia. These experiences will surely enhance their performance,” Akpata said.
Akpata also acknowledged the support of the National Sports Commission, which has been pivotal in the team’s World Cup journey.
“We commend the leadership of the National Sports Commission for their continued support and encouragement,” he added.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens are placed in Group C, alongside debutants Samoa, New Zealand, and South Africa. Their first match will be against Samoa on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at the Borneo Cricket Ground in Sarawak. They will face New Zealand on Monday, January 20, and South Africa on January 22.
This will be Nigeria’s second appearance at a cricket World Cup, following the men’s U-19 team’s participation in the 2019 edition in South Africa.
