On the back of Monday’s historic win over New Zealand, Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow Greens will hope to end the group stage of the 2025 ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in style, when they come up against South Africa in their last group game on Wednesday.

Although the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia has revealed that they are rarely underdogs in cricket, it is still a fight of the unequal as Nigeria and South Africa clash in the final Group C game at the Borneo Cricket Ground, Sarawak.

Both teams, sitting in the top two in Group C, will go into the contest by 7:30 am Nigerian time on Wednesday to determine the winner of the group.

The Junior Yellow Greens announced their presence at the tournament with a huge upset, enduring a nerve-wracking fight to secure a two-run win over New Zealand in a 13-over match after her first game against Samoa was washed out.

South Africa comes from the back of an emphatic victory over Samoa and New Zealand in her first two games.

This will be the first time both nations will meet in a cricket game in the women’s category on the world stage. Although, both sides met at the 13th African Games in Ghana in March 2024, with South Africa presenting her `emerging’ Squad in the tournament.

Notably, both teams have a good number of players who took part in the Games. Of South Africa’s 15-player squad at the 2025 World Cup, seven of those had been listed at the previous edition in 2023, which they hosted and reached the Super 6 stage.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s team in Malaysia 2025 has got eight of the 15 players, also participating in Ghana. This goes to say both sides are not ignorant of each other’s antics.

Leg spinner Seshnie Naidu’s 4/13 and all-rounder Kayla Reyneke’s 3/12 rattled Nigeria’s batting lineup to ensure the West Africans were 74 all out with eight balls to spare. In the defence, pace bowler Lilian Ude stepped to the occasion with 5/18 but was not enough to halt a four-wicket win for the South Africans.

Naidu alongside wicketkeeper Karabo Meso would bring senior team experience to the U19 squad as they are the only two capped players in the lineup in Malaysia.

Captain Reyneke is the leading wicket-taker for her side with four in the tournament, closely supported by Nthabiseng Nini’s 3/4 against Samoa on Monday.

But then, Nigeria’s skill with the ball has also been her strength.

The likes of Ude, who finished as the best bowler at the Games in Ghana with eight wickets, also contributed to Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup in Rwanda. She held her nerves while bowling the last over in the win against New Zealand on Monday.

All-rounder captain Lucky Piety is widely regarded as the poster girl of cricket women’s grassroots development in the country.

Piety was Player of the Match in Nigeria’s World Cup debut against New Zealand. She scored Nigeria’s first six and contributed with the ball as well.

One player to also watch out for is 15-year-old Peace Usen. She is widely regarded as the new kid on the block but her spin can unsettle any batter.