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‘Our Bowling Was Excellent’ — Ali Rahmon Demands Better Batting as Junior YellowGreens Chase World Cup Ticket
Nigeria U19 captain Ali Rahmon has praised the Junior Yellow Greens’ disciplined bowling performance in their emphatic five-wicket victory over Ghana in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier in Rwanda.
Nigeria bounced back strongly from their opening-day defeat to Uganda, restricting Ghana to just 93 runs all out before completing the chase at 96/5 in 22.2 overs to secure a crucial five-wicket victory.
Rahmon credited the bowlers for maintaining pressure throughout Ghana’s innings, particularly through a steady supply of dot balls that prevented the hosts from building meaningful partnerships.
“The bowling unit was disciplined and kept the pressure on Ghana. The dot balls helped us control the innings and put us in a strong position.”
However, the captain believes Nigeria still has work to do with the bat. Despite chasing a modest target, the Junior Yellow Greens lost five wickets before reaching the required total.
Rahmon admitted that losing wickets while chasing such a small target is an area the team must address as the qualification campaign continues.
“We did well with the ball, but the batting needs to improve. Losing five wickets while chasing 94 is something we have to look at.”
The victory has revived Nigeria’s hopes of progressing from the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Africa Division 2 Qualifier, after the Junior Yellow Greens suffered an opening defeat to Uganda. Keneth Boniface was again influential, taking four wickets against Ghana before contributing 30 runs during the chase.
Nigeria’s preparation for the qualifier included a four-week high-performance camp designed to improve the players’ batting, bowling, fielding, fitness and tactical awareness.
The Junior Yellow Greens have now turned their attention to hosts Rwanda, with the crucial encounter scheduled for Wednesday, August 12. A strong result would further strengthen Nigeria’s bid to progress in the qualification race.
Rahmon and his teammates will therefore be looking for another disciplined bowling display while demanding greater composure from the batting department as Nigeria continues its pursuit of a place at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Nigeria’s Falconets have completed their final preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with a 1-1 draw against South Korea U-20 in their final warm-up match in Poland.
Sports247 reports that the encounter provided Nigeria’s coaching crew with one last opportunity to assess the squad before the team begins its campaign at the global tournament.
Mary Mamudu put the Falconets ahead in the 29th minute, giving Nigeria a deserved advantage as the young West Africans looked to finish their preparations on a winning note.
South Korea, however, fought back after the interval and eventually drew level from the penalty spot in the 78th minute. Neither side could find a winning goal thereafter, leaving the two teams to share the spoils in a competitive final test.
The result means Nigeria conclude their Poland-based friendly programme with one victory and one draw, providing valuable match experience ahead of the World Cup.
The Falconets have been preparing extensively for the tournament following a successful qualification campaign in which they overcame Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate, Senegal 3-1 on aggregate and Malawi 3-2 on aggregate.
Nigeria will now shift their attention fully to their opening Group F fixture against Spain on September 7. The team will subsequently face China PR on September 10 before rounding off the group stage against New Caledonia on September 13.
Nigeria remain the only African nation to have featured at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, underlining the country’s remarkable consistency at the youth level.
The Falconets have also come agonizingly close to lifting the trophy, finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2014. Their latest campaign therefore presents another opportunity for Nigeria to pursue a first-ever world title in the competition.
The draw against South Korea will give the technical crew plenty to analyze as the final preparations are completed, particularly with the opening game against Spain now approaching.
With the warm-up fixtures behind them, the Falconets can now focus on the task ahead in Poland. The preparations are over. The World Cup journey begins on September 7.
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