The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has unveiled a 14-player Junior Female YellowGreens squad, for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Division 1 Qualifier in Tanzania.
Zeal Ibe, Media Manager of the NCF, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Lagos.
According to Ibe, the tournament is scheduled to hold from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, with Nigeria set to begin another campaign to secure a place on the global stage.
He said the players emerged from an intensive selection process involving several zonal camp phases, before the final group converged in Benin.
The media manager explained that the technical team subjected the players to further assessment, training and competitive evaluation, before selecting the final squad.
“Performances were assessed, combinations were tested and opportunities were given, as the coaches worked to select the best players for the competition,” he said.
According to him, Christabel Chukwuonye will captain the team, with Shola Adekunle as her deputy.
Ibe added that the duo would provide leadership, as the team embarked on a tournament where discipline, resilience and the ability to perform under pressure would be crucial.
The media manager further stated that the squad also reflected the growing depth and talent in Nigeria’s female cricket development programme.
He listed Omosigho Eguakun, Peace Usen, Anointed Akhigbe, Deborah Bassey and Jessica Bien as players bringing valuable experience from high-level cricket.
According to him, Inyene Ubong, Beauty Oguai, Favour Effiong, Chisom Okpe, Jennifer Godwin, Praise Onaghise and Glory Idiahi complete the squad.
Ibe said their selection was part of a pathway designed to identify, develop and prepare young Nigerian women for international cricket.
He added that the programme was also aimed at producing players who could eventually make the transition to the senior national team.
According to him, Nigeria will compete alongside Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi in the qualifier.
Ibe said the event was expected to be highly competitive, with every match important, in the country’s bid to progress to the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
He recalled that Nigeria made history by qualifying for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2025.
According to him, the achievement gives the international cricket community a glimpse of the talents emerging from the country’s women’s cricket development system.
He said several players from that generation had continued their progress into senior international cricket, further highlighting the importance of the U19 pathway.
Ibe said the current squad would now look to create its own history as preparations continued for the Tanzania challenge.
Speaking further, he noted that the Junior Female YellowGreens would continue their final preparations in Lagos, before traveling to Tanzania.
“The remaining days of the camp will be important, as the technical team works on team combinations, tactical awareness, match readiness and the mental strength needed for international T20 cricket,” he said.
Ibe said the tournament would also provide the young cricketers with an opportunity to represent Nigeria, test themselves against some of Africa’s best emerging talent and move a step closer to the biggest stage in U19 women’s cricket.
