2025 ICC U19 Women W’Cup: Nigeria Secures 2027 World Cup Ticket

The Nigeria U-19 women’s cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens, have sealed automatic qualification for the 2027 edition of the under-19 ICC U19 T20 World Cup.

The qualification was confirmed after sealing victory over Ireland in the final Super Six games of the ongoing 2025  ICC  under 19 T20 World Cup in Malaysia.

The junior female yellow greens sealed automatic qualification for the 2027 edition of the tournament after beating Ireland to seal the third place of group 2 of the Super Six round, a rank that’s enough to see the team earn one of the top ten automatic qualification spots.

The game against Ireland early hours of Wednesday morning at the YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi, saw Ireland winning the toss and electing to field first, sending Nigeria’s batters out in the first innings.

Nigeria Women Under-19 got to their highest first-inning total in the tournament as a combined team batting effort took them to 94 runs in their quota of 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets. The start from the batters was not really that bright as Ireland Women Under-19 managed to grab 4 quick wickets up top.

It was the pair of Christabel Chukwuonye and Peculiar Agboya who both managed to stitch up a good partnership in the middle overs and then Peculiar Agboya went ahead to end the innings well for her team.

With the target of 95 runs looking decent and realistic for a good chase for the Irish team, Nigeria sent out a bowling crew, determined to finish the Super Six on a positive note.

The Irish team’s chase got off to a rocky start, with early wickets falling to put them on the back foot. Despite a stabilizing partnership between Freya Sargent and Rebecca Lowe, the Nigerian bowlers continued to pick up wickets at regular intervals, making it difficult for the Irish to gain momentum.

The Nigerian team will be relieved to have secured the win, but will likely reflect on the early dropped catches and extras conceded, which made the game more competitive than it needed to be.

Lilian Ude was the standout bowler for Nigeria, playing a crucial role in restricting the Irish batting lineup. She picked up 3 wickets and was very economical. She was named player of the match after adding 11 runs to her superb bowling performance.

In a post-match interview, the team’s captain, Piety Lucky, said it was a tough game, though she commended her teammates. She expressed excitement over the win which came from years of hard. She added by saying they will work on their mistakes in the game, in subsequent practices and games.