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KUWAIT DEFEATS NIGERIA | (2011-05-05 )

Kuwait cruised to its third victory of Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 7 (WCL Div. 7) when it defeated Nigeria by nine wickets at Lobatse on Wednesday, May 4. 

At Lobatse, Nigeria got off to a bad start when, after Ademola Onikoyi had taken the first run his opening partner, Ramit Gill was dismissed for a duck leaving the Africans reeling 1-1. Things didn’t get much better for the side with Segun Olayinka and captain Endurance Ofem were dismissed totaling just 10 runs between them. 

Responsibility then fell once again to player-coach Sean Philips who proved the cornerstone again of the innings hitting a 125-ball 75 to stabilise the innings. 

The 20-year-old fast bowler claimed 5-24 including the key wickets of Philips and Olayinka to make sure that his side had a small total to chase down in the second innings. 

It was then up to Irfan Bhatti and Abid Mushtaq to knock off the runs but not before Abid departed for 16 leaving Bhatti and Saad Qamar to finish off the innings for the team.   

Bhatti smashed his way to 83 not out off 76 balls in an innings that included eight boundaries and four sixes by the 32-year-old right-handed batsman and guided the team to victory alongside Qamar who walked away with a half-century. 

Man of the match Saad Khalid said, “It is obviously great to make it three wins out of three for the tournament but we can’t rest on today’s win – we face Germany tomorrow and we know they’ll want a good match especially since they lost to us in the final of Division 8. 

“I was pleased with the way I bowled today and it was good to dismiss Sean Philips as we know he was the key man in the Nigeria side along with their top order.”