Tanzania Edge Nigeria in Cricket World Cup Qualifier Warm-Up

Nigeria’s men’s cricket team, the Yellow Greens, suffered a narrow defeat in their opening warm-up match ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, losing by one wicket to Tanzania on Monday.

The game, played as part of preparations for the qualifiers scheduled for September 26 – October 4 in Zimbabwe, saw Nigeria post 83 all out in 17.4 overs. Tanzania responded with 84 for 9 in 19.2 overs to seal the win.

Bright Spots for Nigeria

Despite the loss, several Nigerian players impressed:

• Isaac Danladi — Scored 31 runs off 33 balls, showing composure after a month-long stint with a Zimbabwean club.

• Ridwan Abdulkareem — Added 14 runs off 25 balls.

• Peter Aho — Shone with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 15 runs in 3.2 overs.

For Tanzania, Abhik Patwa top-scored with 22 runs, while Laksh Bakraina, the former U-20 captain recently promoted to the senior side, was lethal with the ball, snatching 3 wickets for 11 runs in four overs.

Next Steps for the Yellow Greens

The Nigerian side, led by former Kenya star Steve Tikolo, will have another warm-up test against Zimbabwe on Wednesday before their opening qualifier clash with Malawi on Friday.

The qualifiers will feature Nigeria, Namibia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Botswana, with only two teams advancing to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Nigeria secured their place in this final qualifying round after topping Group B of the Africa qualifiers last year.