Nigeria’s Male Senior Cricket Team Draws Closer To 2026 ICC World Cup Qualification
Nigeria’s male senior cricket team, popularly known as the Yellow Greens, continued their impressive form at the 2026 ICC World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier C, achieving successive victories by overcoming Eswatini by five wickets.
The match took place on Tuesday at the NCF Oval 2, part of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Winning the toss, Eswatini opted to bat first, which initially seemed promising as they put up a commendable total of 137 runs, losing seven wickets throughout their 20 overs.
Captain Adil Butt emerged as the standout performer for Eswatini, skillfully crafting an unbeaten 88 runs off just 60 deliveries.
His innings included well-timed boundaries that kept the scoreboard ticking and provided crucial momentum for his team.
Despite Butt’s stellar performance, the Nigerian bowling attack proved resilient and effective. Led by the impressive Isaac Danladi and Ridwan Abdulkareem, who secured three wickets each, the Yellow Greens successfully limited Eswatini’s scoring potential, applying pressure and executing key dismissals throughout the innings.
As the Yellow Greens entered their batting innings, the chase turned out to be more challenging than anticipated. The team faced an uncertain start, struggling to find a solid footing as none of the batsmen managed to score more than 50 runs.
Eswatini’s bowlers, including Minhaz Khojbariya, Mancoba Jele, Melusi Magagula, and the experienced Butt, each contributed significantly to the contest by claiming one wicket apiece, making the run chase increasingly tense.
However, in a thrilling display of resolve and teamwork, the Yellow Greens completed their chase in just 63 minutes, amassing a total of 138 runs for the loss of five wickets within 15 overs.
This impressive effort secured a five-wicket victory for Nigeria and represented their third straight win in the tournament, keeping them firmly atop the standings with six points. This places Nigeria in a strong position as they vie for one of the two coveted spots in the final phase of the qualifiers.
In other tournament action, Botswana stayed close behind Nigeria in the chase for the top position, achieving their victory with a decisive 10-wicket win over Ivory Coast.
Also, Sierra Leone climbed to four points, remaining competitive for a qualification spot by triumphing over St. Helena with a four-wicket victory.
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