Rwanda will face Nigeria on Wednesday, August 12, in one of their most important matches of the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier Division 2, with victory potentially putting the hosts within touching distance of qualification for the next stage. Rwanda won their opening two matches of the six-nation qualifying tournament, defeating Mozambique by 322 runs before overcoming Sierra Leone by 49 runs. Nigeria, meanwhile, bounced back from a five-wicket defeat to Uganda in their opening match by beating Ghana by five wickets in their second outing. That recovery means Nigeria will provide a much tougher test for the hosts, with both sides fully aware of the importance of Wednesday’s encounter as they battle for one of the three available qualification places. ALSO READ: Rwanda edge Sierra Leone to maintain perfect start to U19 World Cup qualifier Bugingo demands discipline For Rwanda head coach Kenneth Bugingo, discipline and patience will be crucial against a Nigerian side he expects to play an aggressive brand of cricket. “One of the things we need to do against the Nigerians is simple things. We just need to be disciplined in terms of our lines, regarding the ball and the attacker positioning. We need to respect the game,” Bugingo said. He believes Rwanda must also spend more time at the crease and avoid giving Nigeria opportunities to dictate the match. “Nigeria have a good attacking game. They’re good guys. We just need to be more disciplined and respect every moment we play against them,” he added. Bugingo sees the match as an important measure of how far his young team has progressed. “This is our third match, and I think this is one of the important ones. We need to play for longer periods. The players need to enjoy the game, play for longer periods and make sure they can put runs on the board.” ALSO READ: Rwanda ready to launch U19 World Cup qualification campaign at home Nziza wary of Nigeria’s pace attack Rwanda captain Jasper Nziza is also expecting a different challenge from Nigeria, particularly from their fast bowlers. Having featured in the previous qualifiers, Nziza has an idea of what to expect from the West Africans. “As I played in the last qualifiers, the biggest threat was their fast bowlers. But I don’t know what it will be like this time,” he said. Nziza acknowledged Nigeria’s physical advantage but insisted Rwanda would not allow it to affect their approach. “First of all, they are physically fit and taller, which could make us afraid and make us think they are stronger. But we trust our process. We will wait for one ball at a time.” If Rwanda win the toss, the captain said they would prefer to bat first and set a challenging target. “Our plan is to win the toss and choose to bat first, and then set 300 runs and above.” With qualification potentially within reach, Nziza urged his teammates to remain focused on the basics. “Stay focused, be disciplined, respect the opponent, be fearless and play the cricket we’ve been practising.” Asked what victory would mean for Rwanda’s qualification hopes, he remained cautious. “If we win tomorrow’s game, we could potentially qualify. But I think let’s wait for the results.” Nigeria determined to build momentum Nigeria head coach Daniel Gim believes his players have grown throughout the tournament after recovering from their opening defeat with a victory over Ghana. The Nigerian squad has also blended younger players with more experienced members, creating a competitive environment within the team. “The first game was quite tough. We lost, but we figured out how to do our best against Ghana. We mixed the players we selected from the Under-17s with more experienced guys. The intensity was quite high, as there were both experienced players and new talents,” Gim said. Gim said his players understand the significance of the Rwanda encounter and what is at stake. “They know the prize. They know what they’re preparing for, and this game with Rwanda will also count. Their minds are focused on that goal.” With Rwanda unbeaten after two matches and Nigeria having recovered from their opening setback, Wednesday’s clash promises to be a pivotal encounter in the race for the three qualification places. Fixtures Wednesday, August 12 9:30AM: Nigeria Vs Rwanda (Gahanga Main Oval) 9:30AM: Mozambique Vs Sierra Leone (Gahanga B Oval) 9:30AM: Uganda Vs Ghana (RP-Kigali Oval) Standings 1- Uganda 4 points (4637 NRR) 2- Rwanda 4 points (3710 NRR) 3- Nigeria 2 points (0.692 NRR) 4- Ghana 2 points (0.386 NRR) 5 - Sierra Leone 0 points (-1.790 NRR) 6- Mozambique 0 points (-7.060 NRR) *NRR: Net Run Rate
