Hyderabad: Nigeria Women recorded their first-ever ICC Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup win against New Zealand at the Borneo Cricket Ground in Sarawak on Monday, January 20, 2025. Notably, New Zealand senior women's team are the current T20 World Cup champions, having won the ICC title last year.
Nigeria Under 19 Women defeated New Zealand Under 19 women by 2 runs in the low-scoring cliffhanger clash. Nigeria successfully defended a 66-run target against the Kiwis, a match was reduced to 13 overs due to wet outfield.
A historic first #U19WorldCup win for Nigeria 👏
— ICC (@ICC) January 20, 2025
📝: https://t.co/VdlPdINwlE pic.twitter.com/gJmwfLsHER
Captain Piety Lucky was named as Player of the Match for her all-round performance in the match. Lucky scored 18 runs off 22 balls and then picked up a wicket of Eve Wolland in her three-over spell conceding only 8 runs.
Skipper Piety Lucky was at the heart of Nigeria's first-ever victory in #U19WorldCup history 🤩
— ICC (@ICC) January 20, 2025
She wins the @aramco POTM award 🎖️ pic.twitter.com/ofjHvOKarp
Opting to bowl, New Zealand women did well to restrict the minnows Nigerians to a below-par total of 65 runs. In reply, New Zealand fell short of target by a couple of runs win via the DLS method and ended up conceding two crucial points to Nigerian women's. With this emphatic victory, Nigeria Women are now on top of Group C standings in ICC Women's U19 World Cup 2025.
Skipper Lucky Piety and Lillian Udeh reached double-digits for Nigeria scoring 18 and 19 runs respectively. Nigeria could only hit four fours and a six in their innings. Five out six White Ferns' bowlers picked a wicket apiece, producing a collective performance with the ball.
For New Zealand, things didn't go as per plan as they lost both their openers with just 7 runs on the board in 2.1 overs. The run-scoring remained difficult even though the middle-order batters Eve Wolland, Anika Todd and skipper Tash Wakelin stitched short but vital partnerships. All three of them achieved double figures but eventually failed to take their side home.
Wolland, Todd and Wakelin, all three players lost their wickets at the wrong time. Wakelin fought right till the end even as New Zealand needed nine runs to win in the final over. But Lillian Udeh did really well in the final over to restrict the opposition conceding only three runs with the bat.
