The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has expressed confidence in the nation’s Under-19 women’s cricket team ahead of their debut at the 2025 ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup, set to take place from January 18 to February 2 in Malaysia.
The team’s coach, Sarah Bhakita, has set a bold target, stating, “My minimum expectation from the team is to reach the semi-finals.” The Junior Female Yellow Greens secured Africa’s sole qualification slot during the regional qualifiers in Rwanda, overcoming Zimbabwe to earn their place in the 16-nation tournament.
Speaking on the team’s preparations, NCF Public Relations Officer Musa Ehizoje emphasized the importance of their ongoing training tour in India. “After they qualified for the World Cup, the players have been training in high-performance facilities in Edo and Lagos states. However, the federation decided it wasn’t enough,” he said.
The team has been camping at the Omtex ICWC Cricket Institute in India, which Ehizoje described as “one of the best cricket training facilities in the country.” He detailed their activities, saying, “They have played a couple of games with the Omtex team and undergone various training sessions, including yoga, to prepare physically and mentally. This trip is necessary to put them in competition mode, have professionals analyze their performance, and help them acclimatize to Asian weather. It will definitely rub off on the team when they begin their campaign at the World Cup.”
The team will depart India for Malaysia on Sunday, ahead of their opening Group C match against debutants Samoa at the Borneo Cricket Ground on January 18. They will face Test-playing nation New Zealand on January 20 and conclude the group stage with a match against fellow African representatives South Africa on January 22.
Coach Bhakita, who led the team to qualification, expressed optimism about the squad’s potential. This marks the second time a Nigerian cricket team will feature in a World Cup event.
Meanwhile, Bukola Olopade, Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), assured of the commission’s support. “We are working closely with the Cricket Federation in the areas of logistics, technical, and financial support to ensure Nigeria puts up a strong performance at the World Cup,” he said.
Nigeria and South Africa will represent Africa in the tournament, with South Africa earning automatic qualification based on their rankings. The competition promises to be a major milestone for the development of cricket in Nigeria.
