By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – Eswatini Cricket National team suffered a defeat against Nigeria in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Africa Qualifiers.
Eswatini finished with 20 overs at 137 for the loss of 8 wickets in the match played on Tuesday afternoon in Abuja, Nigeria were the qualifiers are on-going. Eswatini recorded their first victory against St Helena, winning by 48 runs.
Their third game is against Cote d’Ivoire on Wednesday (9November 27, 2024) in what can be described as a must win match if they are still to stand a chance of qualifying.
The Eswatini Cricket Association (ECA) aid the team did well against Nigeria even though the results were not positive. They said there is still work to do against the remaining countries including Côte d’Ivoire.
“What seemed like a promising victory for Eswatini turned out to be a tough lesson on the field. In our latest match against Nigeria, we won the toss and chose to bat first. Our captain, Adil Butt truly shone with an impressive 88 runs not out laying a strong foundation for our innings. Unfortunately, despite his stellar effort, our batting lineup couldn’t find the momentum needed to set a defendable score.
As Nigeria took their turn, they came out swinging with aggressive fours and sixes, making it clear from the start that they were determined to chase down our total. In just 15 overs, they reached our target, finishing the game with 5 wickets in hand,” reads a statement from ECA.
They said it was not all gloom.
“The team is eager to bounce back and we’re refocusing our efforts for today’s (Wednesday) fourth match against Côte d’Ivoire. Let’s bring our A-game and show our spirit, Eswatini!
Nigeria seems to be on their way of sealing a spot in the World Cup as they make it three wins from three games in Abuja.
