Jenner stars as Jersey beat Nigeria by 69 runs

Abu Dhabi - Chasing 184 runs, Nigeria started well but then lost way and ended up losing by 69 runs.

Jersey made short work of Nigeria in the Group B clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier UAE 2019 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Electing to bat first, all the six Jersey batsmen gave good account of themselves, especially Jonty Jenner, who pocketed the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 42-ball 57. Chasing 184 runs, Nigeria started well but then lost way and ended up losing by 69 runs.
Jersey skipper Charles Perchard was delighted with the all-round performance.
"We are happy. We were 30 runs or so after two overs. It was a good total, which was backed up nicely with some good bowling and fielding. I am really happy with the bowling. This is a really good start from the boys."
He noted the big boundaries in Abu Dhabi stadium are a blessing in disguise.
"This is good for the team. We aren't big hitters like many other teams here."
Jersey now take on Canada at the Tolerance Oval on Sunday.
"We haven't played on that pitch yet. We will have to adapt our cricket slightly on it. We hopefully have a good game against Canada."
Meanwhile, Nigeria skipper Ademola Onikoyi, despite the loss by a big margin, felt the target was gettable. "Yes, 180 runs can be chased on that pitch. We started well but lost our way. We lost a bit of momentum."
There were four debutants in the squad - Daniel Ajekun, Sesan Adedeji, Sulaimon Runsewe and Daniel Gim. "Boys had a bit of nerves but now I believe they will be more confident in the next matches."
Nigeria now have a day off and play Canada on Monday.
"We have to improve on our strike rate," he noted.
Both Nigeria and Jersey, the new boys of T20, entertained throughout and played with lot of passion.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com