In the 3rdPlace Play-off of the 2026 Kwibuka Women’s T20 Tournament at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda. Winning a crucial flip of the coin, the Nigeria Women’s national cricket team won the toss and elected to bowl first.
In a low-scoring thriller, Nigeria’s bowlers put on a clinical performance to bowl out Brazil Women for just 85 runs before their batters narrowly crossed the finish line to secure a tense two-wicket victory with only four balls left in the game. This hard-fought win served as perfect retribution for Nigeria, who had been soundly defeated by Brazil by 7 wickets when the two teams previously met in the league stage of the tournament.
In the first innings, Brazil Women were bowled out for a total of 85 runs in 20 overs, heavily constrained by Nigeria’s disciplined bowling performance. Opening batter Lindsay Boas was dismissed early for just 4 runs off 9 balls, while her partner Laura Agatha struck a quick boundary before falling for 5 runs off 3 balls. Laura Cardoso tried to anchor the top order but managed only 8 runs from 16 deliveries.
Top-order batter Roberta Avery anchored the innings with a hard-fought 19 runs off 26 balls, alongside wicketkeeper Monnike Machado, who contributed a patient 12 runs off 21 balls. Maria Silva provided a brief spark of aggression, scoring 15 runs off 15 balls with two boundaries, but the lower order struggled to maintain momentum. Ana Sabino was dismissed for 3 runs off 9 balls, while captain Carolina Nascimento and Nicole Monteiro fell cheaply for 1 run (5 balls) and a 2-ball duck respectively. In the tail, Lara Moisés added a quick 5 runs off 7 balls, and Maria Ribeiro remained unbeaten on 2 runs off 7 balls, with the innings being aided by 11 extras.
The Nigeria Women’s bowling unit orchestrated a spectacular collapse of the Brazilian batting lineup, choking their scoring to a total of just 85 runs. The demolition job began with an early breakthrough as Laura Agatha fell with only 8 runs on the board, triggering a catastrophic slide where Brazil lost their top three wickets for a measly 17 runs, claiming Lindsay Boas and Laura Cardoso in rapid succession. Oseyende Omonkhobio set the tone beautifully with an incredibly tight spell, picking up 2 wickets for just 14 runs in her 4 overs.
Nigeria’s middle-overs pressure completely suffocated any attempts at recovery; Monnike Machado was removed at 37, followed by Maria Silva at 55 and Ana Sabino at 63, courtesy of a brilliant spell by Adeshola Adekunle, who bagged 2 wickets for 16 runs, and Racheal Samson, who kept things tight with 2 for 18. The final collapse was swift and absolute; Christabel Chukwuonye emerged as the chief destroyer, delivering a flawless maiden over and ripping through the lower order to claim 3 wickets for a minuscule 13 runs as captain Carolina Nascimento and Nicole Monteiro both fell at 66 runs.
Though Roberta Moretti Avery fought valiantly to push the score to 83, her dismissal left the tail exposed, allowing Nigerian skipper Favour Eseigbe to step up and close out the innings by removing Lara Moisés for 85 runs in a brief, ruthless single over that cost only 1 run.
Chasing a modest target of 86 runs, the Nigeria Women’s national cricket team endured a rollercoaster ride before clinching a dramatic victory. The chase got off to a rocky start when opening batter Esther Sandy was dismissed for a 3-ball duck, followed by Christabel Chukwuonye, who fought through 19 deliveries for her 6 runs. When Omosigho Promise Eguakun fell cheaply for just 2 runs off 4 balls, Nigeria found themselves under immense pressure. However, Adeshola Adekunle stepped up to play a vital anchor role, top-scoring with a composed 26 runs off 37 balls.
She found brief support from Salome Sunday, who contributed a quick 9 runs off 9 balls, and wicketkeeper Sarah Etim, who added a crucial 12 runs off 12 balls. The real hero of the final stretch was the captain, Favour Eseigbe, who played a captain’s knock, remaining unbeaten with a gritty 21 runs off 27 deliveries to steady the ship. Despite a late flutter where Oseyende Omonkhobio was dismissed for a golden duck and Jessica Bieni was run out for 3 runs off 5 balls, Lillian Udeh 0* held firm at the other end. Aided by 8 crucial extras, Nigeria successfully reached 87/8 in 19.2 overs to seal a thrilling 2-wicket win with just four balls remaining.
The second innings was a classic low-scoring thriller, as Brazil Women fought tooth and nail to defend their modest total, creating an absolute nerve-shredder. The Brazilian bowling attack struck immediately when Maria Ribeiro removed opener Esther Sandy on just the third ball of the chase without a run on the board. Brazil kept the pressure dialed up completely, reducing Nigeria to a precarious 10/3 early on after Lara Moisés dismissed Christabel Chukwuonye and Omosigho Promise Eguakun was sent back. Laura Cardoso broke a burgeoning partnership by removing Salome Sunday at 23/4, but Nigeria managed to steady the ship until Sarah Etim fell at 55/5.
Just when Nigeria looked to be cruising home, Nicole Monteiro triggered absolute chaos late in the game; she struck twice in successive deliveries in the 18th over, dismantling the set Adeshola Adekunle and immediately trapping Oseyende Omonkhobio for a duck to leave Nigeria reeling at 80/7. Brazil sensed a miracle when captain Carolina Nascimento struck in the penultimate over to dismiss Jessica Bieni at 85/8, but Nigeria ultimately managed to creep across the line with just 4 balls to spare, surviving exceptional, economical spells from both Ribeiro (2/14) and Moisés (1/8).
Nigeria succeeded because their bowlers put on a clinical performance to restrict the opposition to a very low score, and their batters stayed calm under intense pressure to finish the tense chase. Meanwhile, Brazil struggled because their batting lineup collapsed repeatedly without building big partnerships, and their bowlers gave away too many extra runs while trying to defend a tiny total.
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