Nigeria’s Junior Yellow Greens will return to action on Wednesday as they battle Rwanda in their latest fixture at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier.
The Nigerian youngsters boosted their hopes of progressing from the competition after defeating Ghana by five wickets on Monday at the Gahanga Oval.
Despite the positive result, captain Ali Rahmon believes the team must show greater discipline with the bat, particularly after surrendering five wickets while pursuing a target of just 94 runs.
Nigeria’s bowlers set up the victory by removing the entire Ghana batting line-up for 93 in 39.5 overs. The Junior Yellow Greens then completed the chase, making 96 for five in 22.2 overs.
Keneth Boniface emerged as Nigeria’s key player. He produced an impressive spell of four wickets for 33 runs from eight overs before contributing an unbeaten 30 from 32 deliveries. His knock featured four boundaries and a six, earning him the Player of the Match honour.
Rahmon praised the team’s work with the ball but called for a stronger showing from the batting department against Rwanda.
According to the skipper, Nigeria were unable to claim early wickets but kept Ghana under pressure by consistently restricting their scoring opportunities.
He said the team’s ability to apply pressure eventually paid off, but acknowledged that the batting display was below the desired standard.
The captain added that Nigeria cannot afford to throw away wickets so cheaply, especially when chasing a relatively small total.
Nigeria’s latest success came after their campaign began with a five-wicket loss to Uganda at Gahanga 2 on Sunday.
Rwanda have made the strongest start in the group and currently occupy first place after winning both of their opening matches.
At the end of the qualification battle, the three best-performing teams will move into the top division next year, where they will join Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania.
