The Junior Yellow Greens, Nigeria’s U-19 cricket team, finally broke their losing streak with a resounding 177-run victory over Sierra Leone on Thursday. This win marks their first success in the qualifying tournament for the 2026 ICC Men’s U-19 World Cup.
After suffering three consecutive defeats, the Nigerian team’s hopes of reaching the World Cup were dwindling. However, they bounced back in style, with captain Gafar Kareem, Kenneth Boniface, and Peculiar Egemasi delivering impressive performances with the bat. The trio scored 41, 47, and 35 runs, respectively, helping Nigeria finish the first innings with 189 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs.
The Junior Yellow Greens continued their dominance in the second innings, with Oladejo Emmanuel leading the charge with four wickets, earning him the Player of the Match award. Azeez Warees added three more wickets to the tally, as Nigeria bowled out Sierra Leone for a mere 69 runs in 29.5 overs.
Although this win is a morale booster for the Junior Yellow Greens, it comes too late to revive their World Cup qualification hopes. They will face Uganda in their final match of the series on Sunday, aiming to play for pride.
In other matches, Tanzania solidified their position at the top of the table with a 54-run victory over Kenya. They will face Sierra Leone in their last match on Saturday.
The current standings after four rounds of matches show Tanzania leading the pack, followed by Namibia and Kenya in second and third place, respectively. Nigeria and Uganda are tied on two points each, while Sierra Leone remains at the bottom of the table without a win.
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