Nigeria’s male U-19 cricket team, the Junior Yellow Greens, suffered their second defeat in the 2026 ICC U-19 Men’s World Cup qualifiers, losing to Tanzania by 122 runs on Sunday.
The defeat leaves the Junior Yellow Greens at the bottom of the table without a point and a net run rate deficit of -1.320.
Tanzania won the toss and opted to bat, with captain Laksh Bakrania leading the charge with 44 runs off 79 balls. Darpan Jobanputra supported him with 32 off 83 balls, frustrating Nigeria’s bowling despite Abdulganiyu Abdullahi’s three wickets.
At the break, Tanzania put 154 runs on the board for the loss of 10 wickets in 47.2 overs.
Nigeria needed 155 runs in the second innings to win the game, but they were restricted by Tanzania’s bowling, managing a paltry 32 runs for the loss of 10 wickets in just 16.1 overs.
Khalidy Amiri Juma led with the ball for Tanzania with four wickets, followed by Player of The Match, Laksh, with three wickets for 11 runs.
The Junior Yellow Greens are seeking a second appearance at the men’s U-19 World Cup, having made their debut at the 2020 edition in South Africa. However, their chances of qualifying are dwindling after two consecutive defeats.
The top team at the end of the qualifiers will pick the sole ticket to the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe next year.