Women Under-19 T20 World Cup: Debutants Nigeria registers historic win 

World Cup

In another rain-affected low-scoring thriller where neither side could touch 70, debutants Nigeria captured the improbable by two runs in Kuala Lumpur on Monday (January 20, 2025), stunning a playing nations powerhouse of Women’s cricket in New Zealand to claim their first ever points at ICC level.

After an opening loss where Nigeria batted first to make 65-6, Nigeria fielded impressively to disrupt New Zealand’s score chase.

In the 13-over contest, the Kiwis were 57-5, needing nine runs with one over to go. But pacer Lilian Udeh bowled tightly, ensuring that the Kiwis lost the plot and fell short by two runs.

Davis was Nigeria’s only other double-figure scorer with skipper Lucky Piety and Udeh (19) on 18, while 19 from Todd saw her as New Zealand top-scorer.

In Nigeria, the fans for football and athletics are much larger, as opposed to the south of the continent, where cricket is gaining many followership (South Africa, Zimbabwe).

However, it was a different story as soon as the Nigerian girls shone the light on their own nation cricketing growth by firstly being the first West African nation to qualify for a global tournament and then causing the greatest upset of the tournament by defeating an ICC full member nation in a group C match.

The Nigerians had to wait for their opportunity after their match against Samoa on Saturday was washed out.

Wet weather again took aim at the proceedings in Sarawak but once these storms cleared and 13-over per innings cuts were confirmed, the African nation made full use of their chances.

Elsewhere on the day, Australia were struggling to get past Bangladesh by two wickets in a nail-biting Group D clash that virtually assured their passage to the next stage.

USA, meanwhile, also emerged as a World Cup force Friday, stunning Ireland in Johor for a nine-wicket victory that dramatically improved their net run rate situation in Group B.

This day in history:Nigeria won maiden title at Women Under-19 T20 World Cup Experience the magic moment today. Related Sports News subscribe to Sports Monks for latest news!

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