By Milcah Tanimu
Nigeria’s women U-19 cricket team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, are intensifying their preparations for the 2025 U-19 T20 World Cup Qualifiers following recent changes in the tournament structure. The qualifiers, now set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda, have been rescheduled, granting the team additional time to prepare.
Originally, the tournament was structured into two groups of seven teams each. However, the late inclusion of Zimbabwe necessitated the formation of a new division, leading to a reorganization of the tournament. The Junior Female Yellow Greens have been placed in Division 1 of the Africa Qualifiers, which commenced on August 21, 2024. This division includes strong teams such as Nigeria, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
Division 2, featuring Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone, is being played in a round-robin format. The top two teams from Division 2 will advance to join the teams in Division 1 for the final qualifiers.
The Division 1 qualifiers are scheduled to run from September 23 to 29, 2024, in Kigali. The winner of this division will secure Africa’s second spot in the U-19 T20 World Cup, set to be held from January 8 to February 2, 2025, in Malaysia. The World Cup will also feature South Africa, New Zealand, and Samoa in Group C.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens have been training diligently at the Nigeria Cricket Federation’s High Performance Centre in Benin City, Edo State. They are expected to move to Lagos for final preparations before heading to Rwanda for the qualifiers.
