Sports
ICC’s Women’s World Cup Final Attracts Crowd
The International Cricket Council’s Women’s World Cup will end on Sunday at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London as the tickets for the final has now been sold out with more than 26,500 expected to be in attendance.
A statement by the ICC made available to Tidesports source last Tuesday in Lagos indicated a 32 million page views on the ICC Website and App and 75 million views on ICC video content of group stage games.
The statement also said 50 per cent of the ticket buyers were female and 31 per cent under 16 years.
It noted that an International Cricket Council (ICC) summer of success would come to a record-breaking finale this weekend with a sell-out ICC Women’s World Cup final at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
“It will be the biggest crowd ever to attend an ICC Women’s World match which is fitting for a tournament that has shattered records on and off the field.
“More than 26,500 tickets have been sold for the event with only MCC Members able to purchase any remaining tickets.
“Unprecedented media coverage, including all 31 games shown live for the first ever time, has seen a global audience of more than 50 million for the group stage games with ICC video content from the group stages being viewed more than 75 million times.’’
The statement said that record-breaking global TV audiences had watched the group stage unfold with a staggering number following the event via digital channels.
It said the viewing figures include: 80 per cent higher global viewership expected across the course of the event as against the 2013 edition.
Also, the Global TV audience reached of more than 50 million with 51per cent increases in U.K. TV audience against the 2013 edition.
The statement said that 47 per cent increase was recorded in Indian TV audience as against the 2013 edition, adding that 300 per cent increase was noticed in Australian TV audience as against 2013.
“Thirty-two million page views on ICC Women’s World Cup website and app and 75 million views of ICC video content and
“In the U.K., on the BBC Sport website “Briliant Wilson catch removes Mandora’’ is the second most popular cricket clip on BBC Sport over the past 28 days with over 190,000 views,’’ the statement said..
It said that on the field, records had been shattered, providing fans with the highest quality Women’s World Cup to date (figures correct as at pre-semi-finals).
“The event has seen more runs, more wickets and more players than ever before competing for records on the global stage.
“The league match between England and South Africa saw a record total of 678 runs and that match also saw Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Taylor set new England ODI partnership record of 275 runs.
“Also, 14 innings have passed the 250 mark (vs eight in the whole 2013 edition), 12 players from seven teams averaging more than 50 so far (vs six in the whole 2013 edition).
“South Africa boasts most successful bowlers Van Niekerk and Kapp with 27 wickets between them (pre-semi-final) with Niekerk who has already equalled the best bowling performance of 2013 (Schutt of Australia).
“Other statistics of note are ticket purchaser’s equal 50:50 male: female split, 31 per cent of all tickets to U-16s, 30,000 people visiting fan parks and average ticket sales higher than any previous World Cup.
“The rest are that ticket resale service has been available to fans who can no longer attend the final, since Monday and so far 152 tickets have been resold from fans to fans,’’ it said.
The ICC Women’s World Cup Tournament director, Steve Elworthy,said: “We promised that this would be the best-ever ICC Women’s World Cup and I believe that the statistics, on and off the field, show that we have delivered on that pledge.
“The attendances have been outstanding and they have been treated to some exciting, exhilarating cricket.’’
Also the statement said that the chair of the ICC Women’s Committee, Clare Connor, added: “The challenge for this tournament is to ensure that we showcased the talent of the world’s best cricketers, and to inspire the next generation of girls and women to engage with the game.
“The quality of cricket has been truly fantastic and the demographics of the crowds we’ve seen reveal that we have attracted thousands of girls and women to attend.
“Now we have to retain that level of interest to continue to build a new fan base and drive levels of participation, both in this country and around the world.”
The winners of the two semi-finals will meet in the historic final at Lord’s on Sunday, 23 July.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.