Junior Yellow Greens Depart for U-19 W’Cup Qualifiers

Nigeria’s Under-19 men’s cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens, have departed Lagos for Rwanda ahead of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier Division Two, which runs from August 9 to 15 in Kigali.

Led by captain Rahmon Ali, the fourteen-man squad will compete in five group-stage matches against Uganda, Ghana, hosts Rwanda, Mozambique and Sierra Leone as they bid to secure promotion to Division One and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the 2028 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Nigeria open their campaign against Uganda on Sunday, August 9.

The squad was named by the Nigeria Cricket Federation following an intensive multi-phase selection process that began with a training camp in Abuja, where players identified during the National Under-17 Championship were assessed, before a second phase blended promising youngsters with more experienced age-grade players. A final phase in Lagos, described by organisers as the most demanding stage, produced the fourteen-man group travelling to Rwanda.

Alongside Ali, the squad includes Ismail Abdullahi, Andrew Abah, Precious Ayeni, Daniel Ayodele, Kenneth Boniface, Princewill Chigozie, Bright Edem, Peculiar Egemasi, Okasha Isiyaku, Emmanuel Oladejo, Hossana Omokhobhio, Pelumi Orimolade and Folajimi Owolabi.

Head coach Daniel Gim said the technical crew’s ambitions stretch beyond the qualifier itself.

“Our aim is to build a robust team with a strong batting line-up that can compete beyond this qualification. The objective isn’t just to qualify from Division Two; our ambition is to progress through Division One and earn a place at the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup,” Gim said.

The top three teams from the Division Two qualifiers will join Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania in Division One as the race for a place at the global finals continues.

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