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Abiodun Adewale
Lillian Udeh etched her name in cricket folklore at the ongoing 2024 Kwibuka Women’s T20i tournament in Rwanda, producing the third all-time best bowling figures for an innings with a phenomenal bowling of six wickets for just seven runs in four overs, which earned Nigeria a 32-run win over hosts and arch rivals Rwanda on Tuesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
In a thrilling continuation of their rivalry, Nigeria secured another win over Rwanda for their third win of the tournament, taking them level on six points with test nation Zimbabwe ahead of their meeting on Wednesday (today) as the race for the top two positions intensifies.
Female Yellow Greens captain Favour Esiegbe won the toss and elected to bat first, a decision that proved wise as the side put up a competitive total of 104 runs for the loss of five wickets, thanks to significant contributions from their top-order batters.
Newly capped Anointed Akhigbe provided stability with a patient 24 runs off 41 balls alongside Piety Lucky and the latter remained unbeaten with a well-crafted 23 runs from 25 balls, ensuring Nigeria set a challenging target for Rwanda.
Salome Sunday also smashed 29 runs off just 12 balls with aggressive intent right from the moment she stepped into the crease.
In response, Rwanda struggled to cope with the relentless bowling attack from the Nigerian side in the second innings.
The highlight of the second innings was Udeh’s sensational spell, which wreaked havoc on the Rwandan batting line-up by claiming an astonishing six wickets for just seven runs in her four overs. Her devastating performance left Rwanda in disarray and significantly tilted the match in Nigeria’s favour.
That also earned her the Player of The Match award.
Christabel Chukwuonye also contributed effectively with the ball, taking two wickets in her three overs and conceding only 10 runs. The combined bowling and fielding efforts of the Female Yellow Greens ensured that Rwanda fell short of the target, managing to score just 72 runs in 19 overs.
The Female Yellow Greens have now taken 12 wins in 24 meetings with Rwanda, who have 11 wins while one game ended in a draw.