Junior Yellow Greens strength World Cup ticket push

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Nigeria’s Junior Yellow Greens have strengthened their push for a return to Division One of the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup pathway with a commanding seven-wicket victory over hosts Rwanda in their third match of the ongoing Division 2 qualifiers.

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Playing at the Gahanga Main Oval in Kigali, Nigeria produced a disciplined all-round performance, dismissing Rwanda for 79 runs in 23.1 overs before chasing down the target with 84 for three in 15.2 overs.

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The result keeps the Junior Yellow Greens firmly in contention, with two matches remaining in the qualification campaign.

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Nigeria’s victory was built on an impressive bowling display that kept the hosts under sustained pressure throughout their innings.

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Emmanuel Oladejo led the attack with an outstanding spell of 3/9 from five overs, including two maidens, while Abdullahi Ismail also claimed three wickets for 19 runs from seven overs. Keneth Boniface completed the three-wicket haul with 3/22 from six overs, including two maidens.

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Rwanda struggled to establish partnerships and were eventually bowled out for 79, with Nigeria’s bowlers striking at regular intervals.

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Captain Ali Rahmon, while pleased with the bowling effort, acknowledged that the team could have been more disciplined with the ball.

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“We did a very good job restricting them to 80 runs all out, but I feel we should have done a bit better because we bowled a lot of extras in the first 10 overs. Maybe 60 or 50 runs would have been good.”

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Chasing 80 for victory, the Junior YellowGreens made a confident start through captain Ali Rahmon and Hossana Omonkhobhio, who combined for a crucial 46-run opening partnership.

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Rahmon scored 24 from 38 balls, hitting three boundaries, while Omonkhobhio contributed 18 from 19 deliveries, including three fours and a six. The partnership was broken at 46 in the ninth over, but by then Nigeria had established a strong foundation for the chase.

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Their partnership allowed the side to control the tempo of the chase and ensured the team remained firmly ahead of the required rate.

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After the opening stand, Peculiar Egemasi continued the momentum with an unbeaten 19 from 20 balls, while Boniface provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 7 from five deliveries, including a six. Nigeria completed the chase in just 15.2 overs.

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Boniface, whose all-round contribution earned him the Player of the Match award, played a key role with the ball, taking three wickets for 22 runs, before returning to the crease to finish the run chase in emphatic fashion.

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With three matches completed, the Junior Yellow Greens remain third on the log with four points and a 1.531 net run rate, with two matches against Mozambique U-19 and Sierra Leone U-19 still to come.

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