Nigeria’s rising cricket star, Lucky Piety, has been named Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Batter of the just-concluded ICC T20 Africa Women’s World Cup Qualifier Division 1 in Namibia, Sports247 reports.
She capped a remarkable individual performance despite Nigeria’s struggles at the tournament.
Read Also: 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Comoros Hit 16 Points, Close in on Ghana in Group I
The 18-year-old all-rounder lit up the competition with a record-breaking 92 runs in the seventh-place playoff, steering the Female Yellow Greens to 159 for four before they dismissed Sierra Leone by 85 runs.
That knock now stands as the highest individual score by a Nigerian player in T20I cricket, eclipsing her previous best of 70 against Malawi at the Kwibuka Tournament.
Piety ended the qualifiers with 198 runs, including 68 against Sierra Leone in the opener and 35 against Kenya, underlining her consistency with the bat.
However, Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes were dashed in the group stage after just two wins in five games.
The Leke Oyede-led side opened with a 96-run thrashing of Sierra Leone but fell to hosts Namibia and Zimbabwe before bowing out.
A subsequent defeat to Kenya in the 5th/6th classification clash confirmed their relegation to Division 2.
The team salvaged pride with Saturday’s emphatic win over Sierra Leone to finish seventh, with Piety once again at the heart of the victory.
Since emerging from the Nigeria Cricket Federation’s grassroots program in Edo State, Piety has become the face of women’s cricket in the country.
In 47 T20Is, she has scored 745 runs, including three half-centuries, while also contributing with the ball with 32 wickets at an economy rate of 4.59.
Earlier this year, she captained Nigeria’s U-19 women’s side at the ICC Women’s T20 U-19 World Cup in Malaysia, further establishing herself as one of Africa’s brightest young talents.
While Nigeria’s campaign ended in disappointment, Piety’s brilliance is a shining reminder of the promise that lies ahead for women’s cricket in the country.
