Nigeria triumphed over Ireland in a tight match, winning by just 6 runs. After winning the toss, Ireland chose to bowl, which led to Nigeria facing some early challenges.
Nigeria struggled at first, losing key player Victory Igbinedion right away. They found themselves at a tough 18 for 3 within five overs. Christabel Chukwuonye stepped up with a solid innings, scoring 25 runs. Omosigho Eguakun added 17 runs, while Peculiar Agboya and Lilian Ude contributed towards the end. In the end, Nigeria set a target of 94 runs.
Kia McCartney shone for Ireland with the ball, grabbing 2 wickets for just 13 runs in her four overs.
When Ireland batted, they lost a wicket in the first over, putting them under pressure. Freya Sargent and Rebecca Lowe worked hard to rebuild and had them at 30 for 2 by the end of the powerplay. However, Nigeria kept taking wickets, which put them in control. There was a late effort from Millie Spence and again from Kia McCartney, but it wasn’t enough.
Nigeria managed to bowl out Ireland for 88 runs. Lillian Ude was exceptional, taking 3 wickets for 11 runs. Peace Usen and Anointed Akhigbe also helped with two wickets each. For her all-round performance—including a vital 12 runs with the bat—Ude earned the Player of the Match award.
This win put Nigeria in third place in Super Six Group 2. Unfortunately for Ireland, they finished at the bottom of the group and couldn’t catch up to New Zealand.
