Cricket: Nigeria beat Botswana to lift World Cup Qualifier trophy
By Tosin Omojola
Captain Sylvester Okpe and his teammates erupted in wild celebration as the Nigeria Yellow Greens secured an emphatic victory over Botswana at the Abuja Stadium, the venue for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Sub-Regional ‘C’ Playoffs.
Nigeria’s cricket team made history on Thursday by winning all their matches in the sub-regional qualifying campaign. Botswana, who were also unbeaten in their previous four games, lost the final to Nigeria by 77 runs.
The thrilling encounter saw Nigeria score 181 runs in 20 overs, while Botswana were restricted to 104 runs all out in 18.2 overs. Kareem Ridwan emerged as the Player of the Match, while Isaac Danladi earned the Best Batter award with an impressive 80 runs off 45 balls.
An excited Nigerian captain, Sylvester Okpe, shared his thoughts after the game:
“We are so happy to secure this victory and trophy before the home crowd. It is always a good feeling and an exciting moment for us.
“Right from the beginning, we told ourselves that we were not going down without a fight. We were confident in ourselves, and in every game, we stuck to our plans. In the end, it all came through. I thank my team, the technical crew, and the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for trusting us.”
The President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Mr. Uyi Akpata, expressed his delight at Nigeria’s triumph and the successful hosting of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in the African sub-region.
“I am elated and extremely satisfied that we not only met but exceeded our expectations. I give God all the glory and thank all the key stakeholders who have been part of this journey. You did a great job. Now, we can relax and celebrate.
“Everybody in the world now knows we have this fantastic twin oval in Nigeria. We have been able to pull it off. The curators, the ground crew, the spectators, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), who worked in partnership with the ICC team, the media, and the volunteers, made it an awesome event.”
Nigeria and five other African countries competed for an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup ticket in Abuja from November 23–28, 2024. The top two teams advanced to join Namibia, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Kenya in the final leg of the African qualifiers.
The teams that participated in the Abuja playoffs were hosts Nigeria, Botswana, Sierra Leone, Eswatini, Saint Helena, and Côte d’Ivoire. Nigeria and Botswana both qualified with unbeaten records.
