NCF President promises better outings for U-19 World Cup

Posted : 01 October 2024

The president of the Nigerian Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has underlined that Nigeria's cadet cricket team must prepare well for the upcoming U-19 Women's World Cup in Malaysia.

The Nigerian side secured their passage to the competition after topping their group at the expense of Zimbabwe.

Akpata, however, commended the Junior Female Yellow Greens for their splendid performance during his chat with Middle Stump.

"First, I must thank the players for their boldness and dedication to this project," he said.

"The board members too have been very supportive, and I will not forget the coaches and the technical team behind them," Akpata added.

“The World Cup is a bigger task; we need more resources and a robust plan to run a successful campaign. All hands must be on deck, and it starts now.”

In a related development, Sarah Bhakita, head coach of Nigeria’s Under-19 Women’s Cricket team, attributed the success of the team at the Africa Women’s World Cup Qualifiers to hard work and tenacity.

Nigeria edged out seven other teams to secure the lone slot to the International Cricket Council (ICC) U-19 Women’s World Cup in Malaysia in 2025.

Nigeria finished the qualifiers hosted in Rwanda unbeaten, but the finals against Zimbabwe on Sunday, which was the tournament’s decider, were washed out due to heavy rain.

Meanwhile, ICC officials at the event adjudged Nigeria the winner for being the only participant unbeaten in the qualifiers and for also topping its group.

Bhakita, in an interview, however, described the victory as unreal.

“I am feeling excited and elated; this is just amazing.

“It still feels unreal, as though we are dreaming, and seeing the girls happy brought so much joy to our (coaches') hearts.

“I can just say it is by the grace of God, and thanks to the girls for putting in a lot of work.

“Winning all the matches in the group stages and the semifinals is not an easy task, but they pushed through, and for me, I am so proud of what they did,” Bhakita noted.

The coach also predicted a challenging outing at the World Cup in January.

“Definitely, now we know that the next stage is not going to be easy, but the thing is this: this team can give their all.

“We know we are going to give very good performances in Malaysia, despite whatever hurdles may come our way,” Bhakita added.

Nigeria’s run to victory began with beating Tanzania by four wickets, Zimbabwe by one wicket, and overrunning Malawi by 86 runs to top Group B.

In the semi-final, Nigeria beat host Rwanda by 62 runs to set up the second encounter with Zimbabwe in the finals.

The 2025 World Cup in Malaysia is scheduled for January 18 to February 2, 2025, with Nigeria in Group C alongside New Zealand, South Africa, and Samoa.

NCF President promises better outings for U-19 World Cup

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