Nigeria’s Yellow Greens suffered a heavy 117-run defeat to Namibia on Sunday in their second Group A match at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, played at the Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe.

After an opening win against Malawi last Friday, Sylvester Okpe’s men were outclassed by a dominant Namibian side led by Jan Frylinck’s blistering 134 off 65 balls and Louren Steenkamp’s quickfire 51 from 27 deliveries. Their efforts powered Namibia to an imposing 235/6 in 20 overs.

Nigeria’s bowlers showed flashes of fight, with Isaac Danladi the standout performer, claiming 4 wickets for just 22 runs in three overs. Isaac Okpe also chipped in with two wickets, but Namibia’s top order had already done irreparable damage.

Chasing 236, the Yellow Greens never found momentum against Namibia’s disciplined attack. Sulaimon Runsewe (28), Okpe (24), and Joseph Adedeji (16) tried to steady the innings, but Nigeria managed only 118/9, falling well short despite brief spells of resistance.

Reflecting on the defeat, Okpe admitted that his side failed to stick to their bowling plans. 

“We didn’t execute our bowling the way we wanted, and that put us on the back foot,” the skipper said.

“There were still positives, Danladi bowled brilliantly, and our batting showed some intensity. We’ll take that into the next game.”

Nigeria must now regroup for their decisive final group fixture against Kenya, where victory would secure a semi-final spot. The two finalists from the qualifiers will book Africa’s tickets to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.