Yellow Greens grab fourth win at West Africa Trophy

File photo: Yellow Greens

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Nigeria continued to solidify their status as the team to beat at the ongoing West Africa Trophy in Abuja on Sunday, securing a dominant nine-wicket victory over Sierra Leone at the NCF Oval, for their fourth straight triumph in the tournament, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Having won the toss, the Yellow Greens elected to field first, as their bowlers applied relentless pressure on the Sierra Leonean batting lineup. The visitors struggled to build momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals and failing to string together any meaningful partnerships.

Sierra Leone eventually managed 95 all out in 18.5 overs, with only a few moments of resistance against Nigeria’s disciplined attack. Their innings was anchored by John Bangura, who top-scored with 37 runs off 35 balls, standing out as the lone batter to offer significant resistance.

Apart from Bangura’s contribution, Sierra Leone’s batting card told a story of consistent collapses. Other batters barely reached the 10-run mark, allowing Prosper Useni, Isaac Okpe, Isiyaku Okasha, Joshua Asia, Vincent Adewoye, and Sylvester Okpe to keep the run-scoring opportunities tight throughout the innings.

In response, Nigeria made their intentions clear from the first over despite losing Selim Salau early. The opener fell to Chernor Bah, who claimed the only wicket of the innings when Salau was caught after barely three minutes at the crease.

From that point, debutant Rahmon Ali took full command of the chase. The right-hander produced a scintillating innings, smashing 64 not out off 36 balls, decorated with seven boundaries and two sixes.

Ali found an assured partner in captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who played the anchor role to perfection. Runsewe finished unbeaten on 21 off 30 balls, rotating the strike efficiently and allowing the in-form debutant to dominate the scoring.

The pair’s unbroken partnership guided Nigeria to 98/1 in just 11.2 overs, sealing a comfortable nine-wicket win with nearly nine overs to spare.

Ali’s outstanding debut not only earned him the Player of the Match award but also announced him as a promising addition to Nigeria’s batting unit.

With four consecutive wins now in their pocket, the Yellow Greens will hope to book an early spot in the final as the round robin phase nears the last round of matches.

Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years

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