Nigeria and Botswana Advance to Final Round of ICC Men’s T20 Qualifiers
Nigeria and Botswana have secured their spots in the final round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier C after winning all their matches in the first round held in Abuja.
Nigeria’s head coach, Stephen Tikolo, expressed confidence in the team’s ability to perform well in the next stage. “We have been consistent in many areas, and the boys are motivated to finish the event on a high. The support from the board and fans has been a great morale booster for us,” Tikolo said.
In their latest match against Sierra Leone, Nigeria claimed a 29-run victory in what was dubbed the West African derby. Sierra Leone, needing a win to stay in the tournament, won the toss and chose to field. However, Nigeria’s opening batters, Sulaimon Runsewe (28 off 26 balls) and Selim Salau (31 off 28 balls), set a strong pace for the Yellow-Greens.
Sierra Leone’s bowlers, led by George Ngegba with an economy of 5.25 and Abass Gbla taking 2 wickets for 14 runs, managed to limit Nigeria to 141/6. Despite their efforts, the Patriots fell short in their chase.
Botswana also impressed, defeating St Helena by 9 wickets. Karabo Motlhanka was the star of the match, scoring 52 runs from the 79-run target and taking three wickets.
Nigeria and Botswana will now join Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, and Uganda in the regional finals as they compete for a spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
