Nigeria’s YellowGreens qualify for Africa regional final

Nigeria’s YellowGreens have completed a perfect campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier C, winning all five matches to finish top of the standings and secure qualification for the Africa Regional Final alongside Uganda.

The Nigerian side capped their impressive run with a thrilling one-run victory over Uganda on Saturday, defending a target of 149 to finish with 10 points from five matches, while Uganda claimed second place with eight points after recording four wins.

Nigeria posted 148 all out in 19.4 overs before restricting Uganda to 147 for nine wickets in 20 overs in a tense contest that went down to the final delivery.

The victory was particularly significant, ending a difficult run against Uganda and giving Nigeria a landmark result against one of Africa’s stronger cricket nations.

Nigeria Cricket Federation President, Dr Uyi Akpata, struggled to contain his emotions after the historic win, describing it as the culmination of six to seven years of planning, investment and commitment to developing the game.

Akpata noted that Uganda entered the contest with a considerable advantage in the world rankings, with Nigeria ranked 40th and Uganda 21st, making the result an important statement about the progress of Nigerian cricket.

He credited the players, technical crew and federation board for their collective efforts, stressing that the achievement reflected the value of sustained development and doing things the right way.

The federation president also highlighted the emergence of young talents from Nigeria’s development programmes, pointing to the contributions of players such as Salim Salau and Isaac Danladi as evidence that investment in the grassroots and age-grade teams is beginning to yield results.

YellowGreens head coach Steve Mangongo praised the players for their fitness, mental toughness and technical improvement, revealing that the team had undergone three months of training before the tournament, including 18 days of preparation in Abuja.

Mangongo said Nigeria’s ability to recover from difficult moments during the match demonstrated the resilience and determination needed to compete at a higher level.

He also called for continuity in the team’s preparations, insisting that success is a process rather than a one-off achievement as Nigeria turns its attention to the Africa Regional Final.

Captain Akachukwu Chima, who was leading the side for the first time, described the victory as an emotional and memorable moment for the team.

Chima explained that the players remained focused throughout Uganda’s chase, encouraging one another to fight for every delivery despite the pressure of defending a narrow total.

He also praised the team’s confidence in Sylvester, who was entrusted with the decisive final delivery as Nigeria held on to secure the win.

Looking ahead, Chima said the team’s objective was clear: to maintain its winning mentality and continue improving ahead of the next stage of the qualification campaign.

Nigeria will now face stronger opposition at the Africa Regional Final, where the YellowGreens will compete against teams including Kenya, Tanzania and other leading cricket nations for a place at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

With an unbeaten record, a perfect 10-point haul and renewed confidence following their historic victory over Uganda, the YellowGreens have given Nigerian cricket a major boost and strengthened hopes of a return to the global stage.