Nigeria secured their place in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier finals with one match to spare, capping off an outstanding performance at the sub-regional C qualifiers in Abuja on Thursday by defeating Botswana to clinch the title.
The Yellow Greens triumphed by 77 runs, completing an unbeaten run in the tournament with five straight victories. The matches were held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja’s twin ovals.
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Both teams had already qualified for the regional finals, scheduled for July 2025, but Thursday’s clash was the title decider as they entered the final day tied on eight points.
After winning the toss, Nigeria chose to bat and quickly set a challenging target. Sulaimon Runsewe and Isaac Danladi led the charge, scoring 74 runs off 53 balls and 80 runs off 45 balls, respectively, as Nigeria posted a total of 181/5 in 20 overs.
In response, Botswana, led by captain Karabo Motlhanka, struggled to keep up with the pace, failing to reach 100 runs until the 15th over.
Ridwan Abdulkareem, named Player of the Match, was instrumental in the win, claiming six wickets and stifling Botswana’s chase. Nigeria’s bowlers restricted Botswana to just 104 runs, all out in 18.2 overs.
With the victory, Nigeria finished top of the standings with a perfect 10 points, while Botswana took second place with eight.
Earlier, Sierra Leone secured third place with a dominant 112-run victory over Eswatini, posting 158/8 and bowling Eswatini out for a mere 46 runs.
St. Helena, with just one win, finished fifth, while Ivory Coast, winless in their debut tournament, ended at the bottom of the table.
Nigeria and Botswana will now join Tanzania, Malawi (from Qualifier A), Zimbabwe, Kenya (from Qualifier B), and the two African representatives from the last T20 World Cup, Namibia and Uganda, in the regional finals.
The top two teams from the final phase of the qualifiers will advance to join South Africa as Africa’s representatives at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
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