Nigeria, on Thursday, defeated Sierra Leone by 5 wickets at the ongoing Nigeria Cricket Federation’s (NCF) Women’s T20I Invitational in Lagos.
It is the second time both sides are meeting in this tournament, with Sierra Leone losing the first by 60 runs in the first round of matches.
This win puts Nigeria in second place behind Tanzania, who is at the top of the table as they approach rest day on Friday.
Sierra Leone won the toss and opted to bat, scoring 91/9 in 20 overs. The visitors relied on Celina Bull putting up 26 (34) to see her side reach 91 runs on board.
Nigeria had to rely on Lilian Ude, who took 4 wickets and had an economy of 2.75 after conceding 11 runs in 4 overs, to limit the Sierra Leoneans.
In the chase, Nigeria scored 92/5 in 15 overs, with Salome Sunday batting 35 runs before she was out-caught by Ramatu Turay of Sierra Leone.
Esther Sandy and Captain Blessing Etim kept the tally ticking with 16 (20) and 12 runs, respectively, as Nigeria raced to 92 runs for 5 in 15 overs.
At the end of the game, Etim was happy with the win but said her team needed to do more to ensure title defence.
“Good win for us today, but we still have the likes of Tanzania and Rwanda to contend with.
“Tomorrow, Friday is rest day, and we will take the time to regroup and prepare ahead of these games.
“Our target is to defend our title, and we have to be well prepared for that,” she said.
Fatumata Parkinson, captain of Sierra Leone, who was disappointed with the result, said they will go back to the drawing board ahead of their last two games against Rwanda and Tanzania.
Tanzania has picked up three wins in four games alongside Nigeria, but the East African side has a better net run rate and rests in top place with Nigeria in second.
Rwanda currently sits in third place with two wins in four matches, while Sierra Leone has yet to register a win in four games.
The tournament, ongoing at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval, began on March 25 and will end on Sunday. (NAN)
