Nigeria edges Uganda in ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup qualifier

Uganda’s U19 women’s cricket team, the Baby Victoria Pearls, suffered a narrow four-wicket defeat to Nigeria in their opening match of the ICC U19 Women’s World Cup Qualifier Division 1 at the TCA Arena in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Uganda struggled against a disciplined Nigerian bowling attack. The East African side found it difficult to build momentum, finishing their 20 overs on 59 runs for 7 wickets.

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Shadiah Gilingish Nabulime top-scored for Uganda with a resilient 22 runs off 34 balls, including three boundaries. Team captain Jimia Abdallah Mohamed contributed 13 runs, but regular wickets kept Uganda’s scoring rate low. Nigeria’s Chisom Okpe delivered a standout bowling performance, taking 2 wickets for just four runs in her four overs, while teammate Peace Usen claimed 2 for 12.

Despite having to defend a modest target of 60 runs, Uganda pushed Nigeria to the limit. Ugandan bowler Tino Sarah produced a thrilling spell, taking 5 wickets for just 13 runs to put heavy pressure on the opposition’s top order.

However, Niger’s Omosigho Eguakun held her nerve under pressure, scoring a crucial 24 runs off 29 balls to guide her team home. Nigeria reached 60 for 6 in 13.1 overs to seal a hard-fought victory.

Following the match, Uganda assistant coach Ivan Kakande pointed to the batting department as the main area needing quick improvement.

“As much as the result didn’t go our way, we look to bounce back because we are going to work on the mistakes that we’ve made and see how the batting department is going to improve on individual scores so that we can get a good defendable score,” Kakande said.

The tournament featured eight African nations split into two groups. Uganda is competing in Group A alongside host nation Tanzania, Nigeria and Malawi. Group B consists of Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and Rwanda. The teams are competing for a single qualification spot at the upcoming U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

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