Nigeria’s senior men’s cricket team, the Yellow Greens, concluded their warm-up matches for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier with a 47-run loss to Zimbabwe on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe, batting first, set a competitive target of 177 for five in 20 overs. Nigeria’s chase fell short, as they managed 130 for nine in their allotted overs.
Despite the defeat — their second in as many warm-up games — the Yellow Greens showed promise with individual performances. Vincent Adewoye top-scored with 40 runs off 29 balls, smashing three fours and six sixes. On the bowling side, Peter Aho impressed with two wickets for 12 runs in just two overs.
The Nigerian team, coached by former Kenyan star Steve Tikolo, will now shift focus to their qualifier opener against Malawi on Friday at the Takashinga Cricket Club in Harare.
Other Group A fixtures will see Nigeria face Namibia on Sunday and Kenya on Tuesday. Group B includes Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Botswana. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.
Nigeria earned their place in this final qualifying round after topping Group B in last year’s Africa qualifier. Only two more African nations will join already-qualified teams, including South Africa, at the 2026 T20 World Cup scheduled for February–March in India and Sri Lanka.
