Abuja -The Nigerian female cricket team on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam beat hosts Tanzania in their opening game at the International Women’s Championship, after winning by five wickets.
The Nigerian side who entered the championship as underdogs, having played their last international in 2011, scored 55 runs for the loss of six wickets in 25 overs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the team will now take on the team from Mumbai, India in their next game.
They are billed to play 50 overs in their first three games of the championship, and then in T-20 format in the next two days.
Led by team captain Blessing Etim, Nigeria won the toss and elected to field first.
Etim was the first with the ball, and it was a winning one, with Ayoka Hannah inspiring with her performance at the other end.
By the 15th over, Tanzania had been blown away, and by then they had only managed 54 runs all out.
Top performers in bowling for Nigeria were Etim and Hannah with four wickets each, and Fyneface Fate with a single wicket.
In the second innings, Nigeria chased slowly and steadily while reacting to some tidy bowling from the Tanzanian opening bowlers.
They could only manage 11 runs for the loss of one wicket in nine overs.
There was a brief moment of scare for the team when the loss of four quick wickets turned the pressure on Nigeria.
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The scoreboard was then at 19 runs for the loss of five wickets in 17 overs, before the teams went out for lunch.
Awonusi Oluwaseun, Agazuma Samantha and Fate however ensured victory for Nigeria when they returned from lunch, with each recording double figures.(NAN)