Ghana All Out for 60, Bright Nyong Hits Four Sixes — Nigeria A Finish on Top

Nigeria A came into their last match knowing a win would put them out of reach at the top. Ghana, still without a point, chose to bat and gave them very little to worry about. They were 21 for 3, then 33 for 5, then 38 for 7. They were all out for 60 in 15.5 overs.

Nigeria A were set a revised target of 61 under the DLS method and wobbled briefly at 25 for 2. Bright Nyong then hit four sixes in a 17-ball 38, and Nigeria A won by seven wickets with 54 balls to spare. Five wins from six, ten points, and a series that ends with the second XI on top.

Five Nigeria A bowlers took wickets, and none of them conceded more than 18. Gafar Kareem was the tightest: four overs, a maiden, 8 runs, and the wickets of Joseph Theodore, Alex Osei and Philip Yevugah. Sylvester Okpe took two for 9, including a return catch. Two Ghana batters were run out, one of them by Mustapha Yusuf, who also removed top-scorer Jayant Gautam.

The chase needed one push, and Bright Nyong gave it. Jimmy and Hosannah Omonhhobhio were out by 25. Nyong hit four sixes and a four and had taken the score to 55 when Richmond Baaleri bowled him. Daniel Ajekun and Olayinka Olaleye knocked off the last six runs.

Gautam's 21 from 24 was the top score, and Theodore made 12, but it took him 24 balls. The rest managed 17 between them. Extras, at 10, were the third-highest contributor. Ghana lost two wickets at 33 and their last six for 27 in all.

The bowlers made a fight of the chase for a while. Obed Harvey's three overs cost 11 and brought the wicket of Jimmy, and Vincent Ateak removed Omonhhobhio. But with only 60 to play with, there was never enough room for a comeback. Ghana leave Lagos with six defeats from six.

Ghana never found any acceleration: 60 in 15.5 overs is less than four an over. Nigeria A scored at nearly eight an over in reply, and almost all of that came from Nyong. On this ground the pattern has held all week: patient bowling is rewarded, and one batter who can clear the boundary is worth a great deal.

Kareem does his damage without ever looking dramatic. Four overs for 8 runs here, three wickets, a maiden. Across this match and the win over Sierra Leone the day before, he bowled six overs for 11 runs and took five wickets. There is a quiet kind of bowler who doesn't so much take a match as slowly close the doors on it, and Kareem is one.

Our preview made Nigeria A strong favourites and said Ghana had struggled for consistency at the crease. Both points held up. But the preview got some things wrong. It described Nigeria A as unbeaten and talked of a clean sweep, when they had already lost to Nigeria on September 25. It also billed this as the 12th and final match; it was the 11th. Verdict: winner called correctly, but the preview's facts were out of date.

This was Nigeria A's last match, and their 10 points could not be caught. Cricinfo lists no final, so the round-robin table is the final word.

Nigeria beat Sierra Leone by 71 runs in the final match later the same day to finish a point behind. Unlock CricIntel Pro for more T20 analysis.