Nigeria begins on winning note, beats Norway by five wickets

YESTERDAY in Gaborone, Botswana, Nigeria began its quest for promotion to Division Six of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) on a sound note, beating Norway by five wickets with 28 balls remaining at the ongoing WCL Division Seven play-off.Nigeria won the toss and elected to bat first. The Sean Phillips-tutored side ended the first innings on 168/5 (38.2/43 ov), which proved difficult for the Norwegians to meet. The Europeans could only achieve 166 (42/43 ov), thus giving the Nigerians victory in their first game.Up next, Nigeria will meet Germany today at Lobatse, while Japan, which lost to Germany yesterday, will confront host, Botswana, at the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) oval 1 in Gaborone, just as Kuwait, which beat the host by three wickets, will face Norway at BCA oval 2.Tomorrow is rest day for all the teams, but action will resume on Wednesday with Nigeria continuing its quest for promotion with a game against Kuwait in Lobatse, while Botswana and Germany will meet at the BCA Oval 1.Speaking on Nigerias victory, a member of the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) Media Committee, Jacob Ajom, said the outcome of the game showed that the two weeks the team spent preparing for the competition was not a waste. According to Ajom, Nigeria narrowly missed promotion last time in Guernsey, so the NCF decided that this years competition would see a better prepared Nigerian team winning one of the promotion slots.The NCF ensured that the team got all the facilities and moral support it needs for success and the great opening day result is the sum of that effort. It will, by no means, be an easy task because we still have Germany, Botswana and Japan to play. But I am sure the boys will give a good account of themselves.The first two teams at the end of the competition will qualify for the WCL Division Six.
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