Kenya beat Nigeria in 2nd Pearl of Africa Cricket T20 Series tie

ENTEBBE, Uganda, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Tanzeel Sheikh scored 24 runs to help Kenya defeat Nigeria by 18 runs in the second match of the ongoing Pearl of Africa Cricket T20 Series on Thursday.

Sheikh was Kenya's top scorer, contributing to their total of 106 runs in 16 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat first at the Entebbe Cricket Oval in Uganda. Kenya also saw Dhiren Gondaria and Sachin Gill score 23 runs each, while Pushkar Sharma added 15 runs.

Nigeria's Yellow Greens, coached by former Kenyan international Steve Tikolo, responded with 88 runs in 16 overs, following a rain interruption that reduced the match to 16 overs. Prosper Usemi was the top scorer for Nigeria with 36 runs, while captain Sylvester Okpe managed just one run. Olayinka Olaleye and Isaac Danladi contributed 14 and 13 runs, respectively.

After an interruption of rain, the match was shortened to 16 overs.

"It was not an easy match playing against Nigeria, but we are happy to win. We now turn our focus to the second match against the United Arab Emirates on Friday," said Kenya's Tanzeel Sheikh after the match.

Nigeria's coach Tikolo acknowledged their mistakes but expressed optimism for improvement. "We need to improve on a few areas," he added.

The Pearl of Africa Cricket T20 Series, designed to help teams earn international ranking points, has attracted Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. ■