Nigeria Retains African West Africa Trophy

Nigeria Retains African West Africa Trophy

Sampson Adedeji

Nigeria successfully defended their African West Africa Trophy title with a commanding 40-run victory over Rwanda in the final played at the NCF Pitch, Abuja, on Sunday, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The triumph saw Nigeria replicate their success from the inaugural edition held in Lagos in 2023, where they also overcame Rwanda to lift the trophy.

Under the guidance of former Kenya international Steve Tikolo, the Nigerian team dominated the tournament, winning nine of their 10 matches.

Their only setback came during the group stage, when Rwanda handed them a 23-run defeat last week. In the final, Nigeria asserted control through disciplined bowling and sharp fielding, denying Rwanda any sustained momentum.

Ndubudem David, Isaac Okpe and Joshua Asia were instrumental, each claiming two key wickets to halt potential partnerships and maintain pressure throughout the innings.

Despite Rwanda’s resilience, they were unable to recover from the steady loss of wickets and were eventually restricted to 117 for nine, falling 40 runs short of the target.

The victory underlined Nigeria’s growing strength in the region and reaffirmed their status as champions of West African cricket.