It was unbridled joy for Nigeria and absolute heartbreak for Zimbabwe as Sunday’s final was washed out to hand the West Africans a ticket to next year’s ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia.
According to the tournament playing conditions, in case of a washout during the knockout stage, the team with the highest points during the Group stages would emerge triumphant.
Therefore, with play abandoned early in the second innings, Nigeria, whose run to the final included four wins on the trot (three wins in the group stage including that famous one-wicket victory off the last ball of the innings against Zimbabwe, and a semifinal victory over Rwanda), were crowned champions.
Zimbabwe will, however, feel hard done following a valiant effort in the field to restrict the West Africans to a modest score (77) and a decent start to the run-chase (19 for 1 after 2.3 overs) before heavy downpour to halt play.
Nigeria becomes the second African team to reach the World Cup through the qualification phase after Rwanda, who qualified for the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2022 after beating Tanzania in the final.
3rd Place playoff – Uganda vs Rwanda:
A nervy Rwanda side scraped past Uganda off the second-last delivery of the innings to secure 3rd place at the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Kigali.
Having restricted Uganda to a modest score (71/10 in 19.4 overs), Rwanda seemed to be cruising to victory with ease at 59-2 after 15 overs.
However, Lona Anyait picked two wickets while Mischelle Ariago trapped Rwanda’s Captain and set-batter Shakila Niyomuhoza leg before wicket going on to pick two more wickets in the 18th and 20th over, to give her side a fighting chance.
Needing one run off the last two deliveries, Sandrine Izabayo dissected the point region for one to seal the hosts’ victory and set off wild jubilations at Gahanga Cricket Stadium.
In her post-match remarks, Rwanda captain Niyomuhoza expressed relief at the result but said her team would have plenty to work on moving forward.
“We are grateful for the victory, but reflecting on the entire tournament, there’s a lot to learn from and improve on across the board,” she said.
It was a disappointing outing for the hosts, who qualified for the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2022.
Match Summaries:
Nigeria vs Zimbabwe:
Nigeria U19: 77/8 (20 overs)
Zimbabwe U19: 19/1 (2.3 overs)
Play abandoned due to bad weather
Uganda vs Rwanda:
Uganda U19: 71/10 (19.4 overs)
Rwanda U19: 72/7 (19.5 overs)
Rwanda won by three wickets
Courtesy Photos
