March 12, (THEWILL)- The Nigerian women’s cricket team, known as the Female Yellow Greens, has vowed to bounce back stronger and clinch the bronze medal at the ongoing African Games in Ghana. Despite a semi-final defeat against Zimbabwe, the team is determined to claim third place when they face Uganda, on Wednesday, at the Achimota Cricket Oval.
In the closely contested semi-final on Monday, Nigeria lost by five wickets after electing to bat first. Led by captain Blessing Etim, the team posted a modest total of 74/9 in their 20 overs. Although Zimbabwe reached the target in 16 overs, the Nigerian bowlers, including Peculiar Agboya, Christabel Chukwuonye, and Shola Adekunle, managed to take five wickets.
Reflecting on the performance, Captain Etim expressed pride in her teammates and vowed to learn from the experience. “A big congratulations to the ladies, I am so proud of them, and we will do more next time,” she said. “No time to rest, we will go back to training immediately to correct some errors in our batting, and then we come stronger to play Uganda on Wednesday.”
The Zimbabwean captain, Mary-Anne Musonda, commended the Nigerian team’s fighting spirit and impressive team chemistry, acknowledging their bright future despite their young age. Nigeria, currently ranked 27th in the world, is the lowest-ranked team in the competition, making their semi-final appearance all the more remarkable.
With the bronze medal match against the 18th-ranked Ugandan team on the horizon, the Female Yellow Greens are determined to cap off their campaign at the African Games with a podium finish, further cementing their place among the continent’s elite women’s cricket teams.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
