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By Abiodun Adewale.
Following the triumph of Nigeria’s senior female cricket team at the third Nigeria Cricket Federation Women’s T20i tournament in Lagos, encomiums have continued to rain on the team for putting up a strong fight to dethrone Rwanda in Sunday’s final, The PUNCH reports.
The Female Yellow Greens saved the best for last to record a sensational nine-run win against Rwanda in an epic final at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval. Batting first in the game, Nigeria posted 99 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs, while they restricted the Rwandans to 90 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs.
Head coach of Nigeria’s men’s national team, Steve Tikolo, who was with the team from the start till the end of the tournament, saluted their mentality for turning the tide barely 24 hours after losing against the same team.
“It’s quite pleasing, taking into mind that they have worked hard for at least five weeks ahead of this tournament. They have had intensive training sessions in Benin City, with coach Leke and I started working with them as soon as they arrived Lagos and it feels satisfying to see them lift the trophy,” Tikolo told The PUNCH.
“Mostly, the areas I have observed are in terms of their technical improvement in their batting, bowling and fielding just to make them aware of what is required of them when they go out to the field.”
Having defeated Nigeria by 39 runs on match-day five, head coach of Rwanda, Leonard Nhamburo, attributed the final loss to little details they didn’t pay attention to.
“I wouldn’t say it was difficult, it was just due to some errors we made as a team from the bowling to the batting. If we had done our basics and understand what was needed, we would have won this game. So, it’s a lesson for all of us going forward regarding winning games when we are in a position to win. We have more tournaments this year and we will definitely come back again to take the challenge,” Nhamburo said.
Sierra Leone finished third at the five-team tournament after beating debutants Cameroon by nine wickets.
The efforts of the Ladies Patriots attracted the attention of Sierra Leone President, Julius Maada Bio, who expressed his optimism about their future.
“We’re proud of the Sierra Leone Women’s National Cricket Team for finishing third place in the 2023 Nigeria WT20i tournament in Lagos. Well done Ladies Patriot and the technical team for a good tournament. Let’s return to the pitch to train for greater heights. Wishing you all a safe return home,” President Bio tweeted.
