Nigeria’s Junior YellowGreens have bounced back from a narrow opening-day defeat to Uganda with a commanding five-wicket victory over Ghana at the Gahanga Oval, reigniting their bid for a place at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Restricting Ghana to just 93 all out before completing the chase with more than 27 overs to spare, Nigeria delivered their most complete performance of the tournament so far — a result built on disciplined bowling, sharp fielding, and a composed run chase.
Nigeria’s campaign began on Sunday against Uganda at Gahanga 2, where the Junior YellowGreens were sent in to bat and faced early pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals.
Standing firm amid the collapse, Keneth Boniface produced a superb innings of 97 runs off 107 balls, laced with nine fours and six sixes, narrowly missing out on a well-deserved century. He was well supported by Okasha Isiyaku, who made a patient 34 off 81 deliveries, as Nigeria posted 176 all out in 45 overs.
In defence of the total, Nigeria’s attack fought hard. Pelumi Orimolade led the way with 2/24, with Abdullahi Ismail, Princewill Chigozie and Okasha Isiyaku each chipping in with a wicket. Uganda, however, held their nerve, chasing the target down with 178/5 in 38.2 overs — driven by a fine 72 from Samuel Ahaisibwe — to complete a five-wicket win.
Given little time to dwell on the result, Nigeria returned to action on Monday determined to make an immediate statement, and did exactly that.
Ghana won the toss and chose to bat first, but found no rhythm against a relentless Nigerian attack. Keneth Boniface starred with the ball this time, claiming 4/33 from eight overs, while Precious Ayeni was equally impressive with figures of 2/9 from eight overs. Princewill Chigozie bowled with excellent control for 1/9 from 10 overs, and Okasha Isiyaku, Pelumi Orimolade and Daniel Ayodele shared the remaining wickets as Ghana were bowled out for 93 in 39.5 overs. David Ateak’s 26 was the lone bright spot for the Ghanaian innings.
Chasing 94 for victory, Nigeria were tested by some tight Ghanaian bowling, slipping to 56/4 and later 77/5. But the Junior YellowGreens held their composure. Boniface, once again the standout performer, finished the match unbeaten on 30 off 32 balls, striking four fours and a six. Andrew Abah (20 off 42) and Peculiar Egemasi (a brisk 17 off 17) provided crucial support as Nigeria reached 96/5 in 22.2 overs to seal a five-wicket victory.
Speaking after the match, Nigeria captain Ali Rahmon reflected on the team’s tactical approach and where the side still needs to improve:
“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, Bowlers did a very good job restricting them to 94 runs.
“But I feel as a batting unit, we are not there yet because we lost too many wickets chasing 94 runs.”
Rahmon’s comments underline a squad that is encouraged by its bowling discipline but conscious that the batting unit must tighten up before facing hosts Rwanda.
Keneth Boniface was named Player of the Match for his all-round contribution of 4/33 with the ball and an unbeaten 30 with the bat. Speaking after his award-winning performance, Boniface credited the team’s strategy for his composed knock at the crease:
“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.”
The win over Ghana was significant not just for the result, but for the manner of the response. Having shown their batting quality against Uganda, Nigeria delivered a far more rounded performance against Ghana, disciplined with the ball and controlled with the bat.
Keneth Boniface has been the standout figure of Nigeria’s campaign so far, contributing 127 runs and 4 wickets across the two matches — a genuine all-round display that has set the tone for the Junior YellowGreens. His efforts have been complemented by strong contributions from across the squad, with Ayeni, Chigozie, Isiyaku, Orimolade, Abah and Egemasi all playing important roles.
Nigeria will next face tournament hosts Rwanda on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, and then Mozambique, before their final game against Sierra Leone in what promises to be another significant test of their qualification credentials.
Buoyed by their response against Ghana but mindful of the lessons from the Uganda defeat, the Junior YellowGreens will be seeking to build on their momentum and continue their pursuit of a place at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Zeal Ibe
Media Manager,
Nigeria Cricket Federation