Cricket W’Cup Qualifiers: Nigeria Battle Hosts Uganda For Semi-final Spot

In search for a first-ever ICC T20 World Cup ticket, Nigeria will hope to take a step closer by reaching the semi-finals of the ongoing Africa qualifiers for UAE and Bangladesh 2024 when they come up against hosts Uganda in their last group game at the Entebbe Cricket Oval on Thursday (today), The PUNCH reports.

It’s the third meeting between both teams this year and the fifth since 2021.

Uganda have won three of the last four meetings between both sides but the Female Yellow Greens will hope to get consecutive victories against the 18th-ranked team, having beaten them in June by three wickets at the 2023 Kwibuka tournament in Rwanda.

Lucky Piety and Peculiar Agboya have had stand out performances for Nigeria in the first two games and coach Leke Oyede said he is looking forward to more brilliant performances from the entire team.

“It’s teamwork and I’m sure everyone will go into the game with the mindset of helping the country record victory. Like I’ve said before, the goal is the ticket and we are all working to achieve that,” the coach said.

Player of The Match in the three runs victory over Rwanda, Agboya, also acknowledged the team’s effort as she looks forward to reaching the semi-finals.

“Thanks to my teammates I was able to achieve this. Hopefully, we will continue to get better as we progress in the game,” she said.

Group A was decided on Wednesday as Zimbabwe finished top with the maximum six points followed by Tanzania with four points.

Both countries await the qualifiers from Group B in the semi-finals as the two finalists in the series will pick the World Cup tickets.