Junior Female Yellow Greens captain, Piety Lucky, talks about Nigeria’s chances at the 2025 ICC Women’s U-19 Cricket World Cup which begins on Saturday in Malaysia and her personal target in this interview with ABIODUN ADEWALE
Some years ago, many of you were just starting cricket before featuring in the national championships. Now you are going to the World Cup. How has been the journey?
I will say the journey has been amazing looking at how far I have come and all the members of the team as well. We all have our peculiar stories about how we started cricket and seeing us in this big stage is very exciting. It’s a milestone that we value and we hope to make the best use of this opportunity.
What’s your personal story with the game?
The love for cricket came naturally for me because I started in school and nobody told me to come play. I remember when I left Cosmopolitan Group of Schools due to financial challenges. I joined Ujoelen Grammar School in Ekpoma and I just fell in love with the sport from there. It was intriguing to see people following the ball. Starting cricket, I wasn’t bad and I got a lot of encouragement from my senior colleagues. But at home, I had issues with my mom because she was over protective. And I understand her fears, because as the first child she wanted to keep me within parental control.
My first tournament, my mother had already insisted I was not going, and I already succumbed after pleading and doing all sorts of house chores to appease her. A day or two days before I was supposed to join other South-South players in Benin, my grandmother asked that I come to her place to help her. It was even my mother that delivered her message.
So, when I went to my grandma, she asked me if I really wanted to go play the tournament and I said yes. I mean, it was a big opportunity; my name was on the list and the tournament was in Benin, not even far from Ekpoma. So, she took out N1,500 from some church money that was kept with her, because she also said she had debtors owing her but it was too early to go ask for money and I needed to travel that early morning. In short, she rescued with that money while she waited for her debtors to pay so she could return it. I remember transport was N1,300 and my grandfather also gave me N500 for me to eat on the way because it was so early that I hadn’t had breakfast before leaving. She also gave me her small phone too so I could call her when I get to Benin.
It’s the second cricket World Cup appearance for Nigeria and the first for any female national team. How does it feel to be part of this milestone?
As a team we are very excited because we have come a long way. Making the World Cup gives us some level of pride and we know we have to make it more. So, we are going with a very positive mindset that we will make Nigeria proud.
So, how have been your preparations for the World Cup?
The preparations have been fun and intense at the same time. So far, training has been cool because it has afforded us the time to enjoy what we do even. As a matter of fact, there have been unofficial and official camps from Benin to Lagos and our trip to India is another learning curve. We are going to India where cricket is a major sport and we are glad to be in such a place to learn and we must appreciate the board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation.
We will be playing Samoa, South Africa and New Zealand in the group stage. How much do you know about your opponents already?
We have done a lot of analysis and we have used that to work on our strength and manage our weakness as well. So, I will say we are going to the World Cup with the mindset of taking a game at a time. That worked for us during the qualifiers and the morale is even higher this time. We will play Samoa first and we know how important a win in that game is for us. Like I said, it’s one game at a time.
Usually, most players graduate from the age-grade level to the senior level. About nine of you already have senior national team experience and won bronze at the African Games last year. How is that going to impact the team?
That will have a lot of impact because it shows that there are lots of players in the team who have experience and ready as well. But it is not just the nine of us, every member of the team is up to the task.
In terms of mentality, what is the team feeling like?
The mentality we had going into the World Cup qualifiers was that of a champion. We said we were going to play cricket and not just countries or names and we were ready to compete. Nothing has changed, it is even more intense. This is the World Cup, it’s no longer the qualifiers and the teams are preparing as well. For instance, India where we are going for our final preparations are the defending champions. In our way, we have prepared and the federation has made sure we are ready. We are combining all of this attitude to bring pride to Nigeria.
So what’s the minimum target for the team?
We are looking at making the Super 6 and taking the semi-finals by storm. In fact, we want to play the last game actually and that’s the final. We know that with the way we have prepared, I trust my teammates that we will deliver.
Is there any pressure to deliver on this?
I have never seen any pressure and no member of the team has shown any signs. There is no pressure at all.
Cricket is fast growing in Nigeria but it’s still unlike football and others. How do you think your World Cup performance can spread the game more in Nigeria?
Cricket is a fast growing sport in Nigeria like you have said and we are really proud to be getting the opportunity to represent the badge at the global stage. So, aside from competing with other countries, playing at the World Cup is like a crusade for us to spread the gospel of cricket in Nigeria. A lot of people will still be surprised that we play cricket in Nigeria but they need to realise how fast the game is growing here. We have a mission to show Nigerians and the world that Nigeria is a cricketing nation as well. I believe if we do the basics, we will win games, go far and that will really be enough to spread the gospel.
As far as recognition is concerned, how do you guys feel as national team players who have had significant achievement in your field but don’t get attention like football and other popular sports?
At this point, it doesn’t even bother us. It’s not just me, there are so many exceptional players in the, male and female teams and if we keep doing better, recognition will come, even if it is not in Nigeria. There is so much we want to do for the country as a sport.
How has it been working under coach Sarah Bhakita?
Coach Bhakita is more than a coach to us and she adapted to Nigeria so fast. She is understanding and approachable. And working with our former captain, coach Blessing Etim, even makes it better. I think they’ve been friends for a long time. Beyond these two, we have the team manager Mr. Femi and coach Theophilus. They make our task very achievable.
You and your teammates are touted as the next generation of Nigerian female cricket. Where do you see yourselves in the near future?
Now the two U-19 teams have qualified for the World Cup and the seniors are trying to. I think our bunch of players can make history by the time we are done with this phase, we will be back fully with the senior national team and we can get the senior World Cup ticket as well. If you look at the male team too, the same set of players who were at the U-19 World cup in 2019 are now in the senior team and the progress is massive. So, I feel the senior World Cup tickets are coming really soon. Every member of the Nigerian team have been putting in the work since 2016 and surely, we have a lot of things to achieve in the future
You and some of your teammates are in school. How are you girls combining cricket and education?
Schooling is a lot right now because we are trying to play good cricket and get good grades. The president has done the first bit by putting us in schools that prioritise sports and we have ways of making up for the lost times.
What is your personal target at the World Cup?
Just growth. There are great minds I really need to learn from, and personally my goal is to grow and get to play more leagues. This will be a chance for me to play a higher level of cricket.