Nigeria’s Junior YellowGreens have signed off their ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier Division 2 campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Sierra Leone by 165 runs to secure a second-place finish and, more importantly, book their return to Division One.
Nigeria’s campaign was defined by consistency, resilience and a strong response to pressure. The Junior YellowGreens won four of their five matches, ending the tournament with one of their most convincing performances — a dominant victory that underlined their readiness to return to the higher tier of African youth cricket.
In their final outing at Gahanga B Oval in Kigali, Nigeria posted an imposing 311/9 from 50 overs before bowling Sierra Leone out for 146 in 45.5 overs. The 165-run margin provided a fitting finale to a campaign in which the young YellowGreens steadily grew into the tournament.
At the centre of Nigeria’s final-day celebration was Kenneth Boniface, who produced arguably the defining individual performance of the campaign.
Boniface completed a magnificent unbeaten century from 74 balls, smashing 10 fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 135.14. His explosive innings provided the finishing power to Nigeria’s 311-run total and capped a tournament in which he emerged as one of the side’s key performers.
Captain Ali Rahmon was equally influential, anchoring the innings with an accomplished 74 from 88 balls, including six fours and two sixes.
The pair’s contributions ensured Nigeria recovered strongly through the middle and closing stages of the innings, with the team reaching 311 for nine at the end of the allotted 50 overs.
The scorecard also highlights valuable contributions from Peculiar Egemasi, who made 33, Hossana Omonkhobhio with 30, and Abdullahi Ismail with 19.
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