Junior Yellow Greens secure W’Cup promotion
Nigeria’s men’s U-19 cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens, are back in Division 1 of the African Qualifiers for the 2026 ICC U-19 World Cup, which will be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia, The Punch reports.
Nigeria defeated Rwanda by seven wickets in the third-place match of the Division 2 qualifiers on Sunday in Tanzania.
The Rwandans batted first during the encounter, but they were only able to put 45 runs on board for all out in 23.4 overs as Nigeria’s bowling charge was led by captain Gafar Kareem, who bowled 5.4 overs, conceded just eight runs, and got four wickets.
Kareem and his teammates hardly broke a sweat in the second innings, racing to their target of 46 runs for the loss of three wickets in 12.3 overs.
The win ensured Nigeria took the third spot along with Sierra Leone and hosts Tanzania ahead of the next phase of the qualifiers.
They suffered a nine-wicket loss against Sierra Leone in the semi-finals.
During the tournament in Tanzania, the Junior Yellow Greens set a tournament record with a commanding win over Mozambique last Sunday at the Gymkhana Ground, where they delivered the highest total of the tournament with 362 runs for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs.
