Nigeria seals Cricket World Cup promotion with record win

The Junior Yellow Greens produced one of their most commanding performances of the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier Division 2, crushing Mozambique by 407 runs at the IPRC Oval in Kigali after posting a tournament-high 461 runs for the loss of six wickets in 50 overs.

The official scorecard records Nigeria’s 461/6 as the first-innings total, before Mozambique were bowled out for just 54 in 23 overs, handing Nigeria a resounding 407-run victory.

Nigeria’s batting display was built on a combination of composure, aggression and explosive power, with Peculiar Egemasi and Edem Nyong both hitting centuries.

Four key contributors accounted for 385 of the team’s 461 runs.

Captain Ali Rahmon played a crucial supporting role in the imposing total, contributing a composed 41 off 46 balls, including eight boundaries, before he was dismissed at 89/1 in the 15th over.

Opening the innings, Hossana Omonkhobhio delivered a commanding performance with 84 from 73 balls, striking 11 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 115.07.

Egemasi smashed an outstanding 123 from 84 balls, with 18 fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 146.43, before he eventually fell at 446/5 in the 48th over.

Nyong, whose extraordinary unbeaten innings turned an already imposing total into a mammoth one, blasted 137 not out from just 53 balls, hammering 11 fours and 12 sixes at a breathtaking strike rate of 258.49.

In the second innings, Mozambique’s chase collapsed under sustained pressure as Nigeria bowled them out for just 54 in 23 overs.

Kenneth Boniface led the attack with three wickets for 13 runs in three overs, while Princewill Chigozie produced an outstanding spell of two wickets for eight runs in eight overs, including four maidens.

Player of the match Egemasi completed a remarkable all-round performance by returning three wickets for one run in one over.

Beyond the emphatic margin of victory, the result significantly strengthened Nigeria’s position in the qualification race, with one game remaining against Sierra Leone.

The win moves the Junior Yellow Greens into second position with six points, two behind leaders Uganda, while hosts Rwanda are also on six points.

Ghana and Sierra Leone follow with two points each, but their dreams of earning promotion are over.

Uganda, Nigeria and Rwanda will join Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania in Division 1 for the next phase of the 2028 ICC Men’s U-19 T20 World Cup qualifiers next year.

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