In the inaugural West Africa Trophy final, Nigeria's Cricket team, the Yellow Greens, secured a thrilling 18-run victory against Rwanda. The match, held at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos on Sunday, marked Nigeria's triumphant tournament, as they remained unbeaten throughout.

Facing a formidable challenge, the East African cricket team nearly overcame Nigeria in the 10-day competition. However, Steve Tikolo's team orchestrated a remarkable comeback in the final.

During the first innings, the Yellow Greens encountered early setbacks, losing three wickets in the powerplay. Initially, they seemed different from the team that had previously defeated Rwanda three times in the competition. Despite the challenging start, the Nigerian team, driven by a resilient effort, crossed the century mark. The partnership between Man-of-The-Match Isaac Danladi and newly promoted Junior Yellow Greens captain Ridwan Abdulkareem proved crucial in preventing Rwanda from seizing the tournament. Danladi contributed 44 runs, while Abdulkareem added 39 runs before both were dismissed with the final ball of the first innings.

Ultimately, the Yellow Greens posted a total of 103 runs, losing seven wickets. Despite losing two more wickets in the 20th over, the supporters expressed immense pride.

Rwanda, commencing with a strong start, scored five runs per over in the initial 30 balls, losing only one wicket in the first 10 overs. However, improved bowling by the Nigerian team restricted Rwanda to 63 runs after 16 overs. Subsequently, with the fall of six more wickets, reaching the 104-run target became unattainable for Lee Booth's team. Chimelie Udekewe took the seventh wicket for Nigeria, sealing their victory in all 10 games and concluding the tournament with an impressive unbeaten record.