Nigeria has started preparations for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Division 1 qualifier against Tanzania, scheduled to be held from August 30 to September 5.

The 14-player squad unveiled by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) are being prepared for another stint on the global stage.

According to the NCF, the squad is the product of an intensive selection journey that has taken the players through multiple zonal camp phases before converging in Benin, where the technical team subjected the young cricketers to further assessment, training and competitive evaluation.

Leading the charge is Christabel Chukwuonye, who will captain the side, with Shola Adekunle serving as her deputy.

For Chukwuonye and Adekunle, leadership will be about more than the title. They will be tasked with setting the tone for a squad entering a tournament where discipline, resilience and the ability to perform under pressure could define Nigeria’s campaign.

The squad also reflects the depth and growing promise within Nigeria’s female cricket pathway.

Omosigho Eguakun, Peace Usen, Anointed Akhigbe, Deborah Bassey and Jessica Bieni bring valuable exposure to high-level cricket, while Inyene Ubong, Beauty Oguai, Favour Effiong, Chisom Okpe, Jennifer Godwin, Praise Onaghise and Glory Idiahi add further strength to a group determined to make its mark on the continental stage.

According to the NCF, the players’ selection is not simply the culmination of a camp programme. “Rather, it is a reflection of a pathway designed to identify, develop and prepare young Nigerian women for the demands of international cricket, with the ultimate ambition of producing players capable of making the transition to the senior side,” the federation said.

Nigeria will line up alongside Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, creating a competitive field in which every match will carry significant weight.

For the Junior Female YellowGreens, the assignment represents another opportunity to measure themselves against some of the continent’s strongest emerging cricket nations and take another step towards the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

The country made history by qualifying for the inaugural ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2025, giving the world a glimpse of the talent emerging through its women’s cricket development system.

Several players from that generation have since continued their progression into senior international cricket, reinforcing the importance of the U-19 pathway.

The NCF said that the remaining days of camp will be critical as the technical team works on team combinations, tactical awareness, match readiness and the mental resilience required to navigate the intensity of international T20 cricket.