Tanzania Edges Nigeria In T20 World Cup Qualifier Warm-Up

Tanzania Edges Nigeria In T20 World Cup Qualifier Warm-Up 

Sampson Adedeji

Nigeria’s men’s cricket team, the Yellow Greens, suffered a narrow defeat in their opening warm-up match ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, losing to Tanzania by one wicket on Monday, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The match, played as part of preparations for the qualifiers scheduled for September 26 to October 4 in Zimbabwe, saw Nigeria bat first and record 83 runs all out in 17.4 overs.

Tanzania chased down the target, finishing with 84 runs for nine wickets in 19.2 overs.

The Yellow Greens will have another opportunity to fine-tune their game on Wednesday when they face the hosts, Zimbabwe, in their second and final warm-up match.

Nigeria begin their qualifier campaign against Malawi on Friday. 

They will also face Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Botswana in the final round of qualifiers, which will determine Africa’s two remaining representatives at the 2026 T20 World Cup.

The Nigerians earned their place in this decisive stage after topping Group B in last year’s Africa qualifier.

So far, 15 nations, including South Africa, have already secured tickets to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka between February and March 2026.