By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria made history after it beat New Zealand in one of the biggest ever upsets in the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia on Monday morning.

The Nigerian team, known as Young Female Yellow greens, defeated New Zealand by 2 runs in the World Cup. It is their first win against a non-African team in a major ICC tournament.

The Group C clash was played at the Sarawak Cricket Ground in Sarawak and was reduced to 13 overs per side encounter due to wet outfield.

Nigerian captain, Lucky Piety, and Lillian Udeh reached double-digits for Nigeria, scoring 18 and 19 runs, respectively.

Nigeria could only hit four fours and a six in their innings and at the halfway mark, creating opportunity for New Zealand to easily chase the target down.

The New Zealand U19 bowlers were able to restrict Nigeria to just 65 runs.

The intensity then saw both countries lose their openers with just seven runs on the board in 2.1 overs.

The New Zealand middle-order batters trio of Eve Wolland, Anika Todd and skipper Tash Wakelin lost their wickets at the wrong time.

Nigeria’s Udeh did really well in the final over to restrict the opposition conceding only three runs with the bat.

New Zealand could only score 63 runs in their 13 overs for the loss of six wickets and fell short eventually by two runs.

As soon as Captain Wakelin got run out on the last ball of the innings, Nigeria players began celebrating in ecstasy as they created history, knocking over one of the big full-member teams at the international level.

Nigeria skipper won the player of the match award for her all-round show scoring 18 runs and picking up one wicket for just eight runs in three overs.

Watch the highlights here.

The WWE Universe is in for an electrifying night this Friday as SmackDown returns to California. With high-stakes matches, dramatic returns, and the inaugural defense of the new WWE Women’s Champion, fans can expect a blockbuster evening of action. Catch all the drama live from San Diego, California, on WWE Network, GOtv Channel 68 at 1 am on Saturday.

Here’s a preview of what’s in store:

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Los Garzas: The Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, will clash with Angel and Humberto of Los Garzas in a high-octane tag team match.

Last week, Los Garzas triumphed over Pretty Deadly, while the Motor City Machine Guns took down A-Town Down Under. The stakes are high as these two powerhouse teams battle for the chance to become the next contenders for the Tag Team Championship, currently held by DIY’s Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.

WWE Women’s Championship Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Bayley: Bayley, the self-proclaimed “Role Model,” earned her shot at the WWE Women’s Championship last week in a grueling Fatal Four-Way match. Now, she faces her toughest challenge yet against the newly crowned champion, Tiffany Stratton.

Stratton seized her opportunity two weeks ago, cashing in her Money in the Bank contract to become the WWE Women’s Champion. Determined to keep “Tiffy Time” alive, she’s ready to prove she belongs at the top.

But Bayley, a Grand Slam Champion, brings over a decade of experience to this matchup. Will Stratton defend her title successfully, or will Bayley reclaim the championship she once held?

The Return of Solo Sikoa: Solo Sikoa returns to SmackDown after falling short in his quest to dethrone Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief. Despite giving everything in their brutal showdown, Sikoa was left without the coveted Ula Fala.

With Reigns now focused on the Undisputed WWE Championship and an entry into the 2025 Men’s Royal Rumble Match, the question remains: what’s next for Sikoa? Fans won’t have to wait long for answers, as the self-proclaimed former Tribal Chief will address the WWE Universe live this Friday.

Other WWE Superstars confirmed for this Episode of SmackDown: “Undisputed WWE Champion” Cody Rhodes, Nia Jax, United States Champion” Shinsuke Nakamura, La Knight, Women’s Tag Team Champions” – Bianca Belair & Naomi Prizefighter” Kevin Owens, The Enforcer” Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Apollo Crews, among others are expected to make an appearance on the night.

Stay connected to your GOtv to enjoy Smackdown and other WWE action live by downloading the MyGOtv app or dial *288# to reconnect/upgrade your package.

By Dipo Olowookere

In order to explore the African betting market, a leading bookmaker, Soft2Bet, has partnered with a prominent media firm, Channels Media Group.

The collaboration is to take advantage of the media platform to deploy Soft2Bet’s Motivational Engineering Gamification Application (MEGA), the gamification solution that enables operators to deliver market-leading ROI by providing quality content and driving player engagement in regulated jurisdictions.

As part of the deal, the online sports betting and casino company will power the broadcast station’s online sports betting and casino offering, Waddibet, to drive value for the group by managing its entire customer acquisition and retention strategy through its market-leading ‘Managed Services’ offering.

“Our joining forces with Soft2Bet will see us  blend our local expertise with their cutting-edge online sports betting and casino operations.

“We’re also highly excited at the thought of integrating Soft2Bet’s MEGA gamification and are confident in our ability to deliver premium content and elevate player engagement across this market.

“Together, we’re committed to setting new industry standards and establishing a leading iGaming brand that will provide unmatched entertainment to our players,” the Group Strategist and Consultant of Channels Media Group, Tobi Momoh, said.

On his part, the Chief Business Development Officer of Soft2Bet, Martin Collins, said, “As a group, Soft2Bet is truly delighted to announce its first African partnership with a high-calibre media partner like Channels TV.

“Nigeria is the continent’s largest economy and a vibrant market and the combination of Channels TV’s strong brand equity and our highly localised and powerful solutions will deliver strong growth in this major market.”

Soft2Bet’s regulatory footprint grew significantly in 2023 as the group entered major markets like Sweden, Denmark, Romania and Italy and in 2024 this has continued and it is set to forge ahead on this path with worldwide expansion into Africa’s largest economy and most populous country with Channels TV.

As the company executes on its strategic roadmap throughout 2025 it will continue integrating new partners to its B2B platform and adding to its content library to deliver the richest and most complete turnkey solution for its partners.