Nigeria, Ghana in Epic Semi-Final Duel at Women T20I Tournament

With two victories in the bag, Nigeria will resume the Nigeria Cricket Federation Women’s T20I Invitational Cricket title chase today, Friday, April 1, 2022 with an all-important victory against Ghana’s Women’s Cricket team.The Ghanaian Women, locked down their first win on Wednesday afternoon running roughshod over Gambia, leaving them with 104-run deficit. Their first two matches with Rwanda and Sierra Leone earlier in the week had left them with defeats.

Nigeria has however had a smooth run so far with clean shoves of Gambia and Sierra Leone Women’s team to pitch them as favorites along with Rwanda for the title in the five-nation invitational.The encounter with Ghanaian Women apart from stoking the traditional rivalry will also test Nigeria’s stability and hunger to give the title a chase, before their finals test against Rwanda on Saturday. The hosts are ranked 37th by the International Cricket Council (ICC), albeit Ghana is yet to be ranked by the world cricket governing body.Both teams had met earlier at a Women’s Invitational in Ghana in 2018, with Nigeria gaining the upper hand by a four runs win. The Ghanaian Women’s team led Rhyda Ofori, has a number of its players drawn from a recently concluded Ashanti Region T20 tournament.

The team also played against an Under-19 selected side as part of preparations for this event.Ofori’s side should, however be wary of Nigeria’s Captain, Blessing Etim, who was player in the match with bowling statistics of two wickets, 16 runs in four overs against Sierra Leone.Also, her teammate, Salome Sunday, got the tournament’s first half century in the same game. Another player of note is medium-pace bowler, 15-year-old Lilian Ude, whose bowling ability earned her a debut in the team as she showed good class to become Player of the Match in the team’s second game against Gambia.Ude’s two overs, two wickets and two maidens earned that individual award in her second cap for the national team.

The hosts should also show respect to her unranked opponents especially the likes of Felicia Serwaa and Elizabeth Annor with the best batting performances in the game against the Gambia as well as bowler JanetAlaare with three wickets, nine runs conceded in three overs in the same game.Fans, will however be hoping to get consolation from this game as against the Super Eagles loss to Ghana few days ago. Whichever the situation favours, the game promises to be a cracker at the ten-strip Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Lagos.