Kenya’s cricket team secured a hard-fought four-wicket victory over Nigeria in the second match of their T20 series on Saturday afternoon.
The series, currently led 2-0 by Kenya, will take a day’s break before resuming with the third T20 today at the same venue.
Despite Nigeria’s lower ranking, Kenya’s coach, Joseph Angara, emphasized the invaluable learning opportunities these matches provide for his team’s development.
Batting first, Nigeria posted 136 for 8 after winning the toss. Peter Koech starred for Kenya with the ball, claiming 3 wickets for 32 runs.
In response, Rushab Patel’s unbeaten 66 guided Kenya to victory with 10 balls to spare, following a partnership with Neil Mugabe that set a solid foundation. Coach Angara expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting the significance of such matches in honing the players’ skills and resilience.
“It’s true that Nigeria are ranked lower than us, but that is not important to us. What we are looking at is giving the players a lot of exposure that can only happen if we take this kind of matches,” Angara remarked.
Despite their victory, Angara acknowledged Nigeria’s spirited display, particularly in their bowling performance.
“Despite winning the two matches, I think Nigeria have shown a lot of character and fighting spirit, which we as a team need to see. Chasing 136 in 18.2 overs proves that they are not pushovers,” he added.
Nigeria’s top-order batsmen, led by Elijah Olaleye’s resilient 37, fought hard but struggled in the middle overs, losing crucial wickets to Kenya’s bowling attack.
Peter Koech’s bowling prowess was crucial in containing Nigeria’s middle order, supported by Rakep Patel’s disciplined spell