Kenneth Boniface Crowned MVP as Nigeria Impress at U-19 T20 World Cup Qualifiers

By Dorcas Francis Koji

Nigeria’s Kenneth Boniface has been crowned the Most Valuable Player of the 2028 ICC Men’s U-19 T20 World Cup Division 2 qualifiers in Rwanda after producing an outstanding all-round performance to help his country secure progression to the next stage.

Boniface was one of the standout performers throughout the tournament, combining consistent batting with impressive bowling figures to finish with 251 runs and 10 wickets from five innings.

The Nigerian posted a batting strike rate of 109.61, while his economy rate of 4.04 with the ball underlined his value as an all-rounder.

Boniface made an immediate impact in Nigeria’s opening match, producing an impressive 97 from 107 balls to set the tone for his campaign.

He saved his best batting performance for Nigeria’s final game against Sierra Leone, where he completed his maiden century of the tournament in spectacular fashion.

The youngster smashed 100 runs from just 74 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and three sixes to underline his class and finish the competition among Nigeria’s leading performers.

His consistency with both bat and ball ultimately earned him the tournament’s top individual honour.

Uganda’s Robert Owilli was recognised as the competition’s Best Batter after accumulating 234 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 80.14.

Ghana’s Stanley Carson claimed the Best Bowler award after taking 15 wickets in five innings, finishing with an impressive economy rate of 3.78.

The tournament also delivered an important qualification breakthrough for Nigeria, Uganda and hosts Rwanda, who secured places in the Division 1 qualifiers.

The three teams will join Kenya, Namibia and Tanzania in the next phase of the qualification process for the 2028 ICC Men’s U-19 T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place next year.

With Boniface emerging as the tournament’s MVP, Nigeria will head into the next stage with renewed confidence as they continue their quest to secure a place at the 2028 U-19 T20 World Cup.