England ready to take on Nigeria; can they maintain momentum at Borneo Cricket Ground?

KUCHING: England star Davina Perrin highlighted the importance of ‘adaptability’ and staying ‘open-minded’ ahead of their Super Six clash against Nigeria in the ongoing ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup.

“We’re buzzing, we’ve had a few wins under our belt, and topping the group is definitely a big token of confidence that we can carry forward into the next few games,”she said.

Perrin pointed out that adopting this mindset would help the team play with positive intent and express themselves on the field.

“Staying open-minded and adaptable is going to be really important in different conditions,” she told Sarawak Tribune on Thursday (Jan 24) at Kuching International Airport.

The 18-year-old batting sensation delivered a stunning performance in their previous match, leading her side to a thrilling victory over the USA, securing the top spot in Group B.

England will face Nigeria on Saturday (Jan 25) at 10.30 am at the Borneo Cricket Ground, Petra Jaya.

England captain Abi Norgrove also expressed excitement ahead of the match, hoping for a strong performance.

“The weather is really hot, but we’ve become accustomed to the temperature.

“We’ll approach the innings with positive intent,” she said.

This is Norgrove’s first trip to Kuching, and she shared that the team will take each game as it comes.

England enters the match with two victories – they won their Group B match against Pakistan by six wickets and their second match against the USA by eight wickets.

On paper, England are the favourites, but Nigeria has shown they have the ability to cause an upset.

Nigeria, making their debut at the World Cup, claimed a narrow two-run victory over New Zealand. However, in their final Group C match, South Africa defeated Nigeria by 41 runs.

Nevertheless, Nigeria is already making history at this year’s Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, and this promises to be an exciting game of cricket.

Earlier, England and Ireland received a warm reception from the Sarawak delegation, including Deputy State Secretary Datuk Hii Chang Kee and Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) Deputy Permanent Secretary Desmond Douglas Jerukan.

Ireland will face South Africa at 2.30 pm later on the same day at the Borneo Cricket Ground.