-Deborah Akinyosoye
Nigeria’s male senior cricket team, the Yellow Greens, have booked a place in the final series of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup qualifiers with one game to spare, NigeriaTodayTimes reports.
Steve Tikolo’s men sealed their spot in the final phase of the qualifiers after beating Sierra Leone by 29 runs for their fourth straight win at the Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Abuja on Wednesday.
The Yellow Greens were also joined by Botswana, who also secured the second automatic qualifying spot from the group after beating Eswatini by nine wickets.
The two teams now join Tanzania, Malawi (from Qualifier A), Zimbabwe, Kenya (from Qualifier B), and the two African representatives at the last T20 World Cup; Namibia and Uganda, who are drawn bye to the regional finals.
Despite the two spots already decided in Abuja, the closing matches on Thursday (today) will see all the six countries dueling on the closing day of the Sub-Regional final.
The Patrons of Sierra Leone hope to redeem themselves against Eswatini after losing to Botswana and Nigeria in earlier fixtures. Also, Ivory Coast will be hoping to deliver their best performance against St. Helena, to taper the heavy losses that their maiden international appearance has earned them so far.
The biggest game, however, is the afternoon game between Nigeria and Botswana, where the winner would lift the tournament trophy.
Nigeria’s national coach and high-performance manager, Tikolo, is confident Nigeria has all it takes to finish strong at the event.
“We have been consistent on so many fronts and I believe the boys are motivated to finish the event on a high. We have had support from the board and the fans here that have come to cheer the team and it has been a morale booster for us,” he said.