By Dorcas Francis Koji
Nigeria’s Junior Yellow Greens have revived their hopes of qualifying for the 2028 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup after producing a dominant five-wicket victory over Ghana at the Gahanga Oval on Monday.
The impressive response came after Nigeria suffered a narrow defeat to Uganda in their opening game, leaving the Junior Yellow Greens under pressure to secure a positive result against Ghana.
Nigeria delivered exactly that, with Keneth Boniface starring with both bat and ball as the team bowled Ghana out for just 93 runs before completing the chase for 96 runs for five wickets in 22.2 overs, with more than 27 overs to spare.
Boniface continued his impressive tournament form after his outstanding 97-run innings from 107 balls against Uganda.
The youngster was instrumental with the ball against Ghana, claiming four wickets as Nigeria’s bowlers dismantled the Ghanaian batting line-up, which was dismissed for 93 runs in 35.5 overs.
He then completed a fine all-round performance with the bat, scoring 30 runs from 32 balls to help Nigeria comfortably reach their target.
His contribution earned him the Player of the Match award.
Speaking after the game, Boniface said he remained focused on following the team’s strategy and keeping pressure off himself.
“I’m just trying to go on with the team plan. The team plan is just to play around and get what I need, so I have to just wait there, enjoy the game, less pressure. That’s all.”
Nigeria captain Ali Rahmon also praised the bowlers for their disciplined performance but admitted that the batting unit still has room for improvement after losing five wickets while chasing a modest target.
Rahmon explained that Nigeria’s plans worked despite losing the toss, particularly after the team created pressure through dot balls and disciplined bowling.
“Firstly, when we lost the toss, it actually went our way because we were actually looking to bat and bowl first, get some early wickets and mount pressure, but we didn’t really get the early wicket. We got more dot balls though, and mounted pressure, and we were able to bowl them out.”
The captain, however, warned that the team cannot afford to be complacent with the bat.
“I feel as a batting unit, we are not there yet because we lost too many wickets chasing 94 runs.”
The victory gives Nigeria renewed momentum in their qualification campaign and sets up another important test against tournament hosts Rwanda on Wednesday.
The Junior Yellow Greens will then face Mozambique before completing their campaign against Sierra Leone.
With qualification for the 2028 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup at stake, Nigeria will be looking to build on their commanding victory over Ghana and maintain their push for a place on the global stage.
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