Nigeria’s senior women’s cricket team, the Female Yellow Greens, face a must-win clash against Zimbabwe on Wednesday in their final Group A game of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division 1 in Namibia, as they continue their quest for a ticket to the global qualifiers.
The Female Yellow Greens opened their campaign with a dominant 96-run victory over Sierra Leone on Sunday but were brought back to earth on Monday after an eight-wicket defeat to hosts Namibia at the High Performance Oval in Windhoek.
Those results have placed the Nigerian side in a precarious position ahead of their match against Zimbabwe, a test-playing nation with significant experience.
With Zimbabwe set to face Sierra Leone in their earlier match, Nigeria’s fate will be decided largely by their performance against the Lady Chevrons.
Oyede Confident Ahead of Zimbabwe Clash
Nigeria’s Female Yellow Green head coach, Leke Oyede, has said he is confident in his team’s ability to rise to the occasion, because the team’s their destiny is in their own hands.
“We have to win, it’s in our hands, so we don’t have to rely on other results. Right now, we have a better net run rate, which puts us ahead of Namibia,” Oyede said.
“But we have a big test in our hands against Zimbabwe while they play Sierra Leone.”
“Zimbabwe are in this tournament with a bulk of players who have about a decade of experience playing for their national team, but our girls are ready too.”
“They are in great spirits.”
The match between Namibia and Sierra Leone will kick off Wednesday’s fixtures at 9:30 a.m., followed by Nigeria’s showdown with Zimbabwe at 2:30 p.m.
Captain Agboya: “We Need to Bat Better”
Nigeria’s Female Yellow Greens captain, Peculiar Agboya, admitted her team fell short in batting during the defeat to Namibia but declared that morale remains high as they prepare for the crucial tie.
“I would say we need the bat. Our batting side is not as good as planned, but regardless of anything, we still stick together, so going forward,” Agboya said.
“Going forward, we are not doing anything, we are just going to keep our morale high because we still have a chance. So everything, we are staying positive throughout.”
Road to England 2026
The stakes are high for Nigeria as only the top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the finalists securing Africa’s two slots to the global qualifiers for the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, set to take place in England.
Victory over Zimbabwe would be an historic step for the Female Yellow Greens, who continue to make strides in international cricket development.
