The Nigeria Cricket Federation has announced a final list of 14 players for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa regional qualifiers scheduled to take place from 7 – 20 September 2021 in Botswana.
The women’s national team will look to pick the sole ticket at the 11-nation tournament which also features the national teams of Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Cameroon, Malawi and hosts Botswana.
Nigeria is drawn is Group B alongside Cameroon, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Uganda. Group A features hosts Botswana, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. The winner of the tournament will advance directly to the global qualifiers.
Nigeria open their campaign against West African rivals, Sierra Leone, on Thursday 9 September and play tournament favourites Namibia on Friday 10 September.
The final squad of 14 players was cut from the list of 20 originally invited to camp in Benin City. The team boasts a blend of youth and experience with players that participated in Nigeria’s last international outing at the 5-nation Kwibuka Memorial T20I tournament held in Rwanda in June.
With Samantha Agazuma still recovering from knee surgery after picking up an injury in Rwanda, the team’s longest-serving player Blessing Etim will assume the armband with Omoye Asika named vice-captain.
Others in the squad include Agatha Obulor, Salome Sunday, Esther Sandy, Joy Efosa, and Mary Desmond. Nigeria’s only centurion in women’s cricket Lucky Piety also finds a spot in the team and becomes the youngest player at age 14 to wear the prestigious Green and Yellow of the national team.
Women’s Squad for Botswana
- Etim Blessing (Captain)
- Asika Omonye
- Obulor Agatha
- Addulquadri Taiwo
- Samson Rachael
- Abdulquadri Kehinde
- Igbobie Abigail
- Sunday Salome
- Imimole Miracle
- Chineyum George
- Desmond Mary
- Sandy Esther
- Efosa Joy
- Lucky Piety
