Nigeria’s U19 women’s cricket team made history yesterday morning in Malaysia, defeating Ireland by six runs in a nail-biting Super Six stage match to secure automatic qualification for future U19 Women’s T20 World Cup editions.

The Ireland bowlers made an early impact, dismantling Nigeria’s top order after skipper Niamh MacNulty won the toss and opted to field first at the UKM-YSD Cricket Oval, Bangi.

Nigerian captain Lucky Piety was among the early casualties, but Omosigho Eguakun (17 off 23 balls) and opening batter Christabel Chukwuonye (25 off 42 balls) steadied the innings with a crucial 32-run partnership for the fifth wicket, pushing their side past the 50-run mark.

Kia McCartney dismissed Chukwuonye to claim Ireland’s fifth breakthrough, but Nigeria fought back, inching closer to the 100-run mark. A vital 26-run partnership between Lillian Udeh (12 off 11 balls) and Peculiar Agboya (17 off 20 balls) helped Nigeria post a competitive total of 94/7 in 20 overs. Ireland’s bowlers delivered disciplined performances, with Kia McCartney (4-0-13-2), Freya Sargent (4-0-15-1), and Lara McBride (4-0-19-1) impressing with the ball.

Chasing 95, Ireland struggled against Nigeria’s disciplined bowling attack and were bowled out for 88 with eight balls to spare, falling six runs short. Rebecca Lowe (21 off 32 balls) and Freya Sargent (14 off 19 balls) added 30 runs for the second wicket, while a 20-run seventh-wicket stand between Niamh MacNulty and Millie Spence (14 off 13 balls) kept their hopes alive.

However, Nigeria’s bowlers maintained the pressure, striking at regular intervals to deny Ireland any momentum. Lillian Udeh (4-0-11-3), Annointed Akhigbe (2-0-8-2), Usen Peace (4-0-21-2), and Muhibet Amusa (3.4-0-16-1) delivered match-winning performances.

Lillian Udeh was named Player of the Match for her all-round brilliance, contributing a crucial 12 runs with the bat and producing a match-defining spell of 3/11 in four overs.

 

Her heroics helped Nigeria end their debut Women’s Under-19 World Cup campaign on a high, securing a memorable six-run victory over Ireland in Malaysia.