Nigeria’s Junior YellowGreens have secured promotion to Division One of the African qualifiers for the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup after finishing second in the Division Two tournament in Rwanda.
Gatekeepers News reports that Nigeria sealed promotion with a convincing 165-run victory over Sierra Leone in their final match at the Gahanga B Oval in Kigali.
The Junior YellowGreens posted 311 runs for nine wickets in their allotted 50 overs before dismissing Sierra Leone for 146 runs in 45.5 overs. The result gave Nigeria four victories from five matches in the tournament.
Kenneth Boniface was the standout performer for Nigeria, scoring an unbeaten century from 74 deliveries. He struck 10 fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 135.14 to help the team set a formidable target.
Captain Ali Rahmon also made a significant contribution with 74 runs from 88 balls, including six fours and two sixes. Peculiar Egemasi added 33 runs, while Hossana Omonkhobhio and Abdullahi Ismail contributed 30 and 19 runs respectively.
Nigeria’s promotion follows a strong campaign in which the team also produced a record 407-run victory over Mozambique. Bright Edem and Peculiar Egemasi played key roles in that emphatic win.
The second-place finish means Nigeria will return to Division One of the African qualification pathway, putting the Junior YellowGreens back among the teams competing at the higher level for a place at the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The achievement represents a significant step for Nigerian youth cricket, with the team now set to face stronger opposition in the next stage of the qualification pathway.
