Yellow Greens Dominate St Helena in T20 Qualifier Opener
Nigeria’s men’s cricket team, the Yellow Greens, opened their ICC T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier C campaign with a commanding 118-run victory over St Helena at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Batting first, the Yellow Greens posted a formidable 185/2 in their allotted 20 overs, with significant contributions from their top-order batsmen. St Helena struggled in reply, bowled out for just 67 runs in 19.1 overs, as Nigeria’s bowlers dominated.
The emphatic win reinforces Nigeria’s status as tournament favourites, given their position as the highest-ranked team in the qualifiers at 36th on the ICC T20 rankings. Head coach Steve Tikolo has set clear ambitions for the team, aiming not only for qualification but to win the tournament outright.
“Our goal is not just to qualify but to win the tournament and prepare for the next round as champions,” Tikolo said before the tournament began.
In other matches, Botswana defeated Eswatini by 45 runs, while Sierra Leone delivered a crushing 168-run victory over Ivory Coast, bowling them out for just 20 runs.
The Yellow Greens will face Eswatini next on Monday, followed by matches against Sierra Leone and Botswana later in the week. The top two teams from the sub-regional qualifier will advance to the final phase, where two African teams will secure spots at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup alongside South Africa.
With strong home support and a dominant opening performance, the Yellow Greens are well-positioned to lead the charge for World Cup qualification.
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