Nigeria’s senior women’s cricket squad, popularly known as the Female Yellow Greens, arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, on Sunday ahead of the 2024 Kwibuka T20 Cricket Tournament, according to PUNCH Sports Extra. The competition is scheduled to take place from June 3 to June 14.
This marks Nigeria’s sixth appearance at the annual event, which is held to honour the memory of the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda.
Team Nigeria will go head-to-head with eight other participating nations, including the host country Rwanda, as well as strong contenders like Uganda, Tanzania, and Brazil.
On Saturday, the Nigeria Cricket Federation unveiled a 14-player roster for this 11th edition of the Kwibuka tournament.
Favour Eseigbe, the star player and captain of Edo State’s cricket team at the National Sports Festival, has been chosen to lead the squad. Notably, Rukayat Abdulrasaq returns to bolster the team’s lineup.
Rising stars Amusa Kehinde and Omosigho Eguakun, who made headlines with their performances at the U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia earlier this year, have earned their first senior team call-ups.
Nigeria’s opening match will be a tough test against defending champions Uganda on Tuesday, followed by a fixture against Brazil the next day.
All nine teams will play each other in a round-robin format. The four highest-ranking teams after the group stage will move on to the semi-finals.
Since its inception in 2014, the Kwibuka T20 Tournament has grown in stature. Kenya remains the most decorated team in the tournament’s history with four titles, while Rwanda has claimed the crown once. Uganda clinched the championship in 2024, with Zimbabwe finishing second.
