After a narrow defeat to Kenya in their opening game of the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup qualifiers competition, Nigeria’s senior men’s national cricket team, the Yellow Greens, is set to face Rwanda in their second match today.
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Despite a valiant effort, the Yellow Greens succumbed to Kenya by four wickets in their initial encounter, leaving them eager to bounce back against Rwanda.
In the clash against Kenya, the Yellow Greens, led by Sylvester Okpe, faced a challenging task after Kenya won the toss and chose to field at the United’s Cricket Ground.
Setting a target of 121 runs in the first inning, Danladi Isaac contributed a commendable 46 runs from 46 balls, and Prosper Useni posted 37 runs from 19 balls, securing the two highest scores.
However, Kenya managed to chase down the target in the 19th over, with Shem Ngoche’s decisive 19 runs off Chiemelie Udekwe cutting the required runs to five balls in the closing 20th over, eventually sealing the win in 19.5 overs.
Tayo Atoloye, leader of Nigeria’s delegation at the event and a representative of the South West on the board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), described the loss as painful but acknowledged the positives.
He highlighted Nigeria’s impressive bowling performance and improved fielding, expressing optimism that the narrow loss would inspire the team to succeed in upcoming matches.
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“The 19th was a critical over, and we lost it to the experience and the superior strategy needed at the time. But again, there are a lot of positives to take home here. Nigeria’s bowling was great, and we fielded better than any match we have played of late,” Atoloye said.
Despite the setback, Atoloye emphasized that Nigeria is playing better than its current ranking suggests, reflecting the positive outcomes of the investments made in the team.
As the Yellow Greens gear up for their match against Rwanda at the Wanderers Cricket Grounds, they aim to showcase their resilience and determination to secure victories in the ICC 2024 T20 World Cup qualifiers.
