Nigeria Qualifies for Historic U19 Women’s Cricket World Cup
2 min read
By Atobatele Ayomide
The Nigeria U19 Women’s Cricket Team have, against the odds, qualified for the next U19 Cricket World Cup outright, following a great performance at the recently-completed U19 Girls’ Cricket Super Six tournament in Malaysia, where they shook the world of cricket with their stunner defeats against giants like New Zealand and dishing out an intense fight to beat Ireland in their last group match.
This is the first time Nigeria has qualified for any level of Cricket World Cup, and as such, also secured an unprecedented 5th place finish overall, which is a remarkable achievement from any debutant on the world stage.
In reaction to the historical performance of the team, the National Sports Commission Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, described the girls’ feat as a “monumental achievement” that must attract national honour.
“The exploits of these girls in Malaysia have once again put Nigeria on a global pedestal. Many people generally tend to connect to Nigeria via football, but here our U19 cricket team has shown to the world at large the vast sporting inherence of our country,” Dikko stated.
He reiterated the NSC’s commitment to the grassroots campaign to sports development via the RHINSE program.
Also, the NSC Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade commended the team for living up to Commission’s vision of redefining sports development in Nigeria.
“What we saw from these girls in Malaysia is a new dawn in Nigerian sports. This is in line with the President’s renewed vigour on sports development with the creation of the sports commission,” Olopade added, promising the team a hero’s welcome back to Lagos on Friday.
Not only did Nigeria’s impressive run in Malaysia tear up the pre-tournament expectations but it signaled a rise in cricket as a growing force in the country’s sporting landscape.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
