Prosper Useni Stars as Nigeria Overcomes Zambia in West Africa Trophy Opener

Nigeria’s Senior Men Cricket Team, the Yellow Greens, began their West Africa Trophy campaign on a bright note in Abuja, thanks to an outstanding all-round display from Prosper Useni of No Limit Cricket Club, Benin City, platinumnewsng.com is reporting.

Facing Zambia in the tournament’s opening match, Nigeria was sent in to bat after the visitors won the toss and opted to field, a decision that set the stage for a competitive and spirited contest.

Nigeria posted a total of 138 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs, anchored by solid contributions from the Okpe brothers. Isaac Okpe led the scoring with 35, while Sylvester Okpe added 23, combining for a valuable 58-run contribution.

They were supported by Isaac Danladi’s 27 and Salau Selim’s 17, with additional runs coming from Vincent Adewoye (9), Prosper Useni (6) and Daniel Ajekun (5) as Nigeria built a defendable total.

Defending 139, the Yellow Greens approached the second innings with a clear objective: restrict Zambia below the target. Their bowlers delivered admirably, with Prosper Useni, Vincent Adewoye, and Isaac Okpe leading a disciplined and relentless attack that dismantled the Zambian batting lineup.

The trio shared all the wickets, ensuring Zambia fell 19 runs short of the required total.

Useni’s performance stood above the rest as he claimed 4 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 3.50, earning him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Adewoye also took four wickets but conceded more runs, finishing with an economy rate of 6.00.

In the day’s other fixture, Rwanda defeated Sierra Leone by 7 wickets, bowling Sierra Leone out for 47 runs in 11.5 overs before chasing down the total in 10.3 overs for the loss of just three wickets.

The result places Rwanda at the top of the standings with 2 points and a superior 2.221 net run rate (NRR), while Nigeria sits second with the same points but a 0.950 NRR.

The Yellow Greens will next face Sierra Leone on Friday at 2:00 PM (Nigerian time) at the NCF Pitch in Abuja, as they look to build on their strong start and push further up the table.