The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier Group C witnessed an extraordinary match at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval, Lagos, as Nigeria bowled out Ivory Coast for just 7 runs—the lowest total in T20 International cricket history.
Nigeria, batting first after winning the toss, piled up a massive 271/4 in their 20 overs. Selim Salau led the charge with a blistering 112 off 53 balls, hammering 13 fours and 2 sixes. He was supported by Isaac Okpe, who smashed 65 off 23 balls with 3 fours and 6 sixes, and Sulaimon Runsewe, who contributed a quick 50 off 29 balls with 8 boundaries. For Ivory Coast, Pamba Dimitri and Kouakou Wilfried picked up one wicket each.
In response, Ivory Coast’s batting crumbled spectacularly, managing just 7 runs in 7.3 overs. Seven of their batsmen failed to open their accounts, with opener Ouattara Mohamed top-scoring with 4 runs off 6 balls. Mimi Alex, Maiga Ibrahim, and Dje Claude contributed 1 run each.
Nigeria’s bowling unit dismantled the Ivory Coast lineup with precision. Isaac Danladi and Prosper Useni claimed 3 wickets each, while Peter Aho took 2 wickets and Sylvester Okpe chipped in with 1. The fall of wickets highlighted the dramatic collapse:
- 1-4 (Ouattara Mohamed, 0.6 ov)
- 2-4 (Kone Aziz, 1.2 ov)
- 3-5 (Mimi Alex, 3.3 ov)
- 4-5 (Kouakou Wilfried, 4.1 ov)
- 5-6 (Dosso Issiaka, 4.4 ov)
- 6-6 (Kone Nagnama, 4.6 ov)
- 7-6 (Maiga Ibrahim, 5.4 ov)
- 8-7 (Ouattara Djakaridja, 6.4 ov)
- 9-7 (Dje Claude, 7.1 ov)
- 10-7 (Pamba Dimitri, 7.3 ov)
This collapse broke the previous record for the lowest T20I total of 10 runs, jointly held by Mongolia (against Singapore in September 2024) and the Isle of Man (against Spain in February 2023).
Ivory Coast, playing only their second T20I match after debuting yesterday against Sierra Leone, had also recorded a poor performance in that game, managing just 21 runs while chasing 190.
The Ivory Coast cricket team, governed by the Ivory Coast Cricket Federation, became an ICC Associate Member in July 2022 and has been striving to establish itself on the international stage.
