The Nigeria national men’s cricket team, the Yellow Greens, concluded their campaign at the Pearl of Africa T20 Series in Uganda with a six-wicket defeat to Kenya on Sunday, finishing the tournament with just one win from six matches, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Ranked lowest among the participating teams, Nigeria faced tough opposition from stronger sides including Kenya, Uganda, the UAE, and Namibia.
Their sole victory came on Friday against Namibia in a nail-biting finish. Defending a modest total of 105/9, the Yellow Greens held on as Namibia ended at 99/8, securing Nigeria’s only win of the series.
The tournament started on a challenging note for the team. In their opening match against Kenya, they fell 18 runs short in a DLS-adjusted chase, managing just 88/9 in pursuit of 106. The following day, July 18, Uganda piled on 180/4, and Nigeria could only respond with 85/5, suffering a 77-run loss.
On July 19, they faced Namibia again, posting 111 all out, but their opponents chased it down with ease, winning by eight wickets. The struggles continued on July 21 as Nigeria collapsed for 58 runs against the UAE, who sealed a seven-wicket victory.
In their second fixture against Uganda on July 22, the Nigerian bowlers managed to contain their hosts to 147/6, but a faltering chase saw them fall short by 38 runs. On Saturday, they faced the UAE once more and suffered a 53-run defeat.
Despite losing to Kenya in their final match on Sunday, Nigeria showed resilience by posting 113/9. However, Kenya chased the target comfortably, winning with six wickets in hand.
Captain Sylvester Okpe was Nigeria’s top run-scorer with 100 runs in the series, followed by Prosper Useni (89 runs) and Isaac Danladi (88 runs). With the ball, Okpe, Peter Aho, and Taiwo Mohammed each took seven wickets, providing bright spots in an otherwise challenging campaign.
Under the guidance of head coach and former Kenyan international Steve Tikolo, the Yellow Greens will now look to regroup and improve ahead of the ICC Men’s Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, set for September 26 to October 4
