Historic Qualification in Tanzania

Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens have secured a place at the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup following a thrilling four-run victory over Zimbabwe. The win occurred during the final of the Africa Division 1 Qualifier held in Tanzania on Saturday, marking a significant milestone for Nigerian cricket on the continental stage.

Four former students of Benin Technical College—Christabel Chukwuonye, Omosigho Eguakun, Peace Usen, and Beauty Oguai—were central to this success. The quartet played vital roles throughout Nigeria's unbeaten campaign, contributing significantly with the bat, ball, and in the field as the national team emerged as champions of the qualifier.

Thrilling Final Victory Over Zimbabwe

In the championship match, Nigeria was sent in to bat first and posted a total of 98 for six in 20 overs. Captain Christabel Chukwuonye led the scoring effort with 21 runs off 19 balls, including three boundaries, while Beauty Oguai contributed a steady 19 runs from 35 balls. A late attacking push from Deborah Bassey, who scored an unbeaten 10 runs off just four balls, helped Nigeria set a competitive target of 99.

Zimbabwe’s chase remained tense until the final moments, reaching 90 runs with two overs remaining and requiring only nine runs from the final 12 balls. However, Nigeria’s bowling unit held their nerve, taking the final four wickets to bowl Zimbabwe out for 94 in 19.5 overs. Peace Usen was instrumental in this decisive effort, finishing with three wickets for 19 runs in her four-over spell.

Supporting the defensive effort, Jennifer Godwin claimed two wickets for 11 runs, while Anointed Akhigbe took two for 15. Shola Adekunle added one wicket, and Usen complemented her bowling by taking crucial catches off Chukwuonye’s bowling to secure the narrow four-run win.

Outstanding Individual Achievements

Throughout the tournament, Omosigho Eguakun established herself as one of the competition's elite performers. Although she scored only four runs in the final, the former Benin Technical College student finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 139 runs in five innings. Her consistency, which included a half-century against hosts Tanzania, earned her the award for Best Batter of the ICC U19 Women’s T20 Africa Qualifier.

Captain Christabel Chukwuonye also delivered a standout individual performance during the semi-final against Rwanda. She claimed four wickets for just six runs in 3.1 overs to earn the Player of the Match award as Nigeria defeated Rwanda by nine wickets. Nigeria’s path to the trophy included group-stage victories over Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania before their successful knockout run.

This achievement highlights the impact of Benin Technical College products on the national team. Nigeria’s qualification means the Junior Female Yellow Greens will represent Africa at the 2027 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be hosted by Bangladesh and Nepal.