- Uganda: 84/10 in 37.5 overs (Olipa Gerald 28, Oladejo Emmanuel 4/8)
- Nigeria: 69/10 in 27.5 overs (Rahmon Ali 28, Balidawa Ali 3/18)
- Uganda won by 15 runs
Uganda wrapped up their ICC World Cup qualification campaign with a hard-fought 15-run win over Nigeria in the final match of the tournament, a contest fueled by pride, passion, and bragging rights as both teams gear up for their next journey from Division 2.
Having won the toss, Uganda elected to bat first. Captain Olipa Gerald and Devansh Patel opened the innings but faced early pressure from Nigeria’s disciplined bowling attack.
Patel was the first to fall in the third over for 7, followed by a steady fall of wickets that left Uganda reeling at 47/5 in just under 13 overs.
Despite a determined 28-run knock off 54 balls from skipper Olipa, Uganda’s batting lineup continued to collapse under tight bowling from Oladejo Emmanuel who delivered a stunning spell, 4 wickets for just 8 runs in 8 overs, including 4 maidens. He was well supported by Joseph Onoshagbe who claimed 3 wickets for 7 runs.
Uganda was bowled out for a modest 84 runs in 37.5 overs with only two batters reaching double figures.
In response, Nigeria’s chase began cautiously but quickly turned into a nightmare. Uganda’s bowlers came out with precision and intent, led by Balidawa Ali who claimed 3 wickets for 18 runs and Musa Majid Ramathan who rattled the top order with 2 wickets, including a maiden over.
The game turned dramatically in Uganda’s favor when Nigeria lost 5 wickets for just 2 runs, collapsing from 29/2 to 31/7. Despite a fighting 28 from Rahmon Ali, Nigeria couldn’t recover from the onslaught.
Uganda sealed the game in the 28th over, bowling out Nigeria for 69 runs, completing a 15-run victory and ending their campaign on a positive note with their second win of the tournament.
Uganda walks away with momentum and pride after winning their last game, marking the Baby Cricket Cranes’ second win of the campaign but that had no impact on Qualification.
Tanzania secured the only spot in the 2026 U19 World Cup that will be played in Namibia and Zimbabwe with Namibia and Kenya staying up top in Division One. The other three in Uganda, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were relegated to Division Two.
Top Performers of the tournament
- Most Valuable Player: Laksh Bakrania (Tanzania) Batting: 5 innings, 208 runs, Avg: 41.6 Bowling: 5 matches, 8 wickets, Eco: 1.88
- Best Batsman: Francois Du Plessis (Namibia) 5 innings, 122 runs, Avg: 30.50, SR 51.05, Highest Score 35| 4s 11 |
- Best Bowler: George Sesay: (Sierra Leone) 5 matches, 13 wickets, Eco 3.94, Avg 13.54
- Best Fielder: Acrey Hugo Pascal: (Tanzania) 5 Matches, 11 dismissals.
