Cricket: Nigeria’s YellowGreens Set for ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Debut

The Junior Female Nigeria National Cricket team, YellowGreens, are set to put on a show when the second edition of the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup begins on Saturday, January 18, 2025, through Sunday, February 2, in Malaysia.

The YellowGreens, who will be making their debut in the competition, departed Lagos on Saturday, January 4, for India on a high-performance training tour, hoping to get in the best shape for the competition proper.

The competition will feature 16 teams divided across four groups in the opening stage of the tournament. Forty-one matches will be played over a 16-day period. Nigeria has been placed in Group C with fellow debutants Samoa and established sides New Zealand and South Africa.

India, the defending champions, won the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2023. They are in Group A with hosts Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. Neighboring England and Ireland join Pakistan and the USA in Group B. Finally, Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Scotland comprise Group D.

Here are the squad lists for Group C:

Nigeria: Lucky Piety (c), Adeshola Adekunle, Peculiar Agboya, Anointed Akhigbe, Amusa Kehinde, Deborah Bassey (wk), Jessica Bieni, Christabel Chukwuonye, Omosigho Eguakun, Victory Igbinedion, Naomi Memeh, Beauty Oguai, Lilian Ude, Usen Peace, Umoh Inyene.

New Zealand: Tash Wakelin (C), Elizabeth Buchanan, Kate Chandler, Sophie Court, Hannah Francis, Kate Irwin, Rishika Jaswal, Louisa Kotkamp, Ayaan Lambat, Emma McLeod, Hannah O’Connor, Darcy-Rose Prasad, Anika Tauwhare, Anika Todd, Eve Wolland.

Samoa: to be announced.

South Africa: Kayla Reyneke (c), Jemma Botha, Fay Cowling, Jae-Leigh Filander, Mona-Lisa Legodi, Simoné Lourens, Karabo Meso, Seshnie Naidu, Nthabiseng Nini, Luyanda Nzuza, Diara Ramlakan, Diedré van Rensburg, Mieke van Voorst, Ashleigh van Wyk, Chanel Venter.

The girls will take on Samoa in their first game of the competition on Saturday, January 18. Their secind game will be against New Zealand on January 20 and the third against South Africa on January 22, with all games holding at the Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak.

Their participation in this event follows the country’s men’s U-19 team, which qualified for the 2019 World Cup in South Africa