Vincent Adewoye led Nigeria to a historic 3-wicket victory over Kenya in the third match of the Kenya-Nigeria Bilateral Series on Monday at the Nairobi Sikh Union Club.
Adewoye’s all-round performance, including 2 wickets for 12 runs and an unbeaten 41 runs, was crucial in securing Nigeria’s first-ever win over Kenya, under the leadership of former coach and captain Steve Tikolo.
This victory is notable as the third time Tikolo has guided a team to its maiden victory against Kenya. In 2016, while coaching Uganda, Tikolo orchestrated a dramatic two-wicket triumph over Kenya in a quadrangular tournament. Five years later, Tikolo was on the opposite side when Tanzania, under his guidance, defeated Kenya for the first time during the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers Regional Final in Rwanda.
Adewoye’s exceptional bowling, along with Isaac Okpe’s 2 for 19, restricted Kenya to 149 for 7. Nigeria’s improved batting performance during the powerplay set the stage for their successful chase, reaching 50 for 2.
Captain Sylvester Okpe praised the contributions of Sulaimon Runsewe (21), Selim Salau (19), and Elijah Olaleye (30), emphasizing the importance of their solid start. “We wanted to get more runs with wickets in hand in the powerplay and that’s exactly what happened. We knew that Kenya would come hard after that, but we kept it cool and kept on rotating the strike to the end,” Okpe said.
Adewoye’s partnership with Olaleye, which yielded 54 runs for the fifth wicket, was pivotal in steering Nigeria to 128 after 17 overs with five wickets in hand. Despite a brief scare at 137 for 7, Adewoye’s aggressive batting in the 15th over against Vraj Patel sealed the match for Nigeria.
Kenya’s promising start was undone by Adewoye’s crucial wickets, causing them to lose momentum towards the end of their innings. The series continues with the fourth T20 match scheduled for tomorrow at the same venue.
