World Cup Qualifier: Nigeria Back To Winning Ways After Beating Tanzania

World Cup Qualifier: Nigeria Back To Winning Ways After Beating Tanzania

By Akanimo Kufre

On Thursday, the Nigeria U19 Cricket team grabbed control of their game against host Tanzania in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup qualifiers at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Dar es Salaam. 

The Junior Yellow Greens of Nigeria batted first and scored 149 runs in 47.4 overs. Riwan Abdulkareem, the team's captain, scored 16 runs, while Solomon Chilemaya scored 66 runs, the highest individual score for Nigeria. Solomon was named Player of the Match for his superb performance. 

Tanzania's second-inning chase did not go well for the hosts, as Nigerian bowlers grabbed control once more. All six bowlers took wickets, with Chijioke Okeke taking three and limiting the Tanzanians. 

It was Augustine Mwamele's 23 runs that help the host total score to reach 112 runs all out in 48.1 overs. 

The victory brought a smile at last to the big West African team as well as a leap from the table bottom to fifth place. 

Former Nigeria Cricket Federation Technical Director, Coach Okon Ukpong attributed Nigeria's U19 poor performance in the tournament to the nature of the playing ground in Tanzania. 

"You can't throw away experience. If they had trained in Tanzania they would have learned the wicket in Tanzania is lifeless." 

Okon also suggests the need to adjust and retraining of Nigerian cricket coaches to adapt to such situations. 

"We need to pick the bat at from the top hand to reach the ball, not the bottom hand where you have to drag your body to play. The wicket that doesn't have life will not bring the ball to you and you are going to be in trouble."