Following the defeat against rivals Sierra Leone in their first game of the 2024 ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Tanzania on Monday, the Junior Yellow Greens say they are determined to win the rest of their matches in order to stand the chance of playing in Sri Lanka next year.
Daniel Gim’s side lost by nine wickets no thanks to their quiet start in batting against the spinning Sierra Leone side. Nigeria failed to settle in the game quickly, recording just 10 runs in three overs while wickets also tumbled in the later stages.
Nigeria managed to end the first innings with 73 runs but they were outrun by their opponents who made a lightwork of them to score 74 runs for the loss of one wicket in 17.5 overs and won the game by nine runs.
Nigeria’s captain, Abdulkareem admitted it was a difficult game even as the team were already looking forward to making amends in subsequent matches.
“It was very difficult for our batters in the first game because the wicket was very slow and the bowlers took advantage of it. All we have to do is plan ahead of the remaining matches. We have four more matches and if we win them, we have a chance of qualifying,” he said.
After their game against Uganda on Tuesday (today), the Junior Yellow Greens will not be in action until Thursday when they file out against hosts Tanzania.
Nigeria is aiming to make it a second and back-to-back appearance at the World Cup after reaching the tournament in South Africa four years ago. The top team among the six countries will pick the only ticket to the tournament in Sri Lanka next year.
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