Nigeria Defeat Sierra Leone, Earn First Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Victory
Nigeria earned a 177-run win over Sierra Leone to record their first win of the 2026 ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup qualifiers at the UNILAG Cricket Oval.
The Junior Yellow Greens suffered three consecutive defeats to Namibia, Tanzania, and Kenya at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Onikan.
The team bounced back with an impressive performance against Sierra Leone despite the visitors winning the toss and opting to field.
Nigeria ended the first innings with 189 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs.
The team captain, Gafar Kareem, Kenneth Boniface, and Peculiar Egemasi all recorded 41, 47, and 35 runs, respectively, to lead the team to victory.
Player of the Match Oladejo Emmanuel led the charge with four wickets, and Azeez Warees added three wickets as Nigeria recorded 69 runs for the loss of 10 wickets in 29.5 overs for a dominant 177-run victory.
Despite the victory, Nigeria missed out on qualifying for the World Cup after losing their first three matches of the series.
The Junior Yellow Greens will take on Uganda in their last match on Sunday.
Tanzania boosted their chances of qualifying for the World Cup with a 54-run win over Kenya for their fourth win of the series.
They will be hoping to consolidate the top position with a win over Sierra Leone on Saturday in their last match.
Tanzania currently leads the table with 12 points, followed by Namibia and Kenya with six points in second and third, respectively. Nigeria and Uganda have two points apiece in fourth and fifth.
Nigeria Defeat Sierra Leone, Earn First Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Victory is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
