Nigeria’s Under 19 Cricket male team, Junior Yellow-Green, clinched a much-needed victory in the ongoing qualifiers for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
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After facing two successive defeats in their opening three games against Sierra Leone and Uganda, the team bounced back with a 42-run triumph over the host nation, Tanzania.
The team’s pre-tournament ranking had raised hopes for a promising outing, but the early losses had disappointed fans and created anxiety among the players.
However, their recent victory has boosted their confidence and given them renewed focus for the remaining matches, according to Coach Daniel Gim.
The star of the game was Solomon Chilemaya, whose brilliant batting effort resulted in an unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls, stabilizing the batting order in the first inning.
Damian Okeke and Ridwan Abdulkareem also contributed with 15 and 16 runs respectively, enabling Nigeria to set a total of 149 runs.
In the second inning, the Nigerian team showcased their prowess by restricting the East African line-up to a mere 107 all-out in 48 overs. Endurance Ofem, the player’s representative on the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) board, acknowledged that the players may not have met expectations so far, but he praised their dedication to the game.
With the next two games against Kenya and Namibia, Nigeria’s hopes for a World Cup spot rest on the possibility of other teams faltering in their current positions on the log.
The Qualifier features Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Tanzania, and Kenya, all vying for a sole slot at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2024.
As the event concludes tomorrow, Nigeria’s Junior Yellow-Green team remains determined to leave a mark and qualify for the prestigious tournament.
The recent victory against Tanzania has ignited their confidence, and they are now ready to raise the stakes and compete fiercely for the coveted spot on the world stage.
