Cricket: Nigeria seal W’Cup promotion with tournament record

Nigeria's Junior Yellow Greens produced a commanding performance to secure promotion in the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier Division 2. They crushed Mozambique by 407 runs at the IPRC Oval in Kigali after posting a tournament-high 461 runs for the loss of six wickets in 50 overs.

The official scorecard recorded Nigeria’s 461/6 as the first-innings total. Mozambique were then bowled out for just 54 in 23 overs, handing Nigeria a resounding 407-run victory. Nigeria’s batting display featured centuries from Peculiar Egemasi (123 off 84 balls) and Edem Nyong (137 not out off 53 balls), with Hossana Omonkhobhio adding 84 from 73 balls. Captain Ali Rahmon contributed a composed 41.

In the second innings, Mozambique’s chase collapsed under sustained pressure. Kenneth Boniface led the attack with three wickets for 13 runs, while Princewill Chigozie took two wickets for eight runs. Player of the match Egemasi completed a remarkable all-round performance with three wickets for one run in one over.

Beyond the emphatic margin of victory, the result significantly strengthened Nigeria’s position in the qualification race. The win moves the Junior Yellow Greens into second position with six points, two behind leaders Uganda. Nigeria will join Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania in Division 1 for the next phase of the 2028 ICC Men’s U-19 T20 World Cup qualifiers.