Seven all out! Ivory Coast hit historic low in 264-run T20I thrashing by Nigeria

LAGOS: Ivory Coast crumbled spectacularly, setting an unwanted record for the lowest-ever total in men’s T20I cricket, bowled out for just 7 runs in a crushing 264-run defeat to Nigeria during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier Group C match on Sunday, ESPNCricinfo reported.

After electing to bat first, Nigeria displayed a batting masterclass, spearheaded by Player-of-the-Match Selim Salau, who smashed a blistering 112 off 53 balls before retiring out. Contributions from Isaac Okpe (65 off 23)* and Sulaimon Runsewe (50 off 29) propelled Nigeria to an imposing 271 for 4.

What followed was pure carnage with the ball. Left-arm spinner Isaac Danladi and left-arm quick Prosper Useni shared six wickets, while right-arm pacer Peter Aho claimed two. The Ivory Coast innings lasted just 7.3 overs, with opener Ouattara Mohamed top-scoring with 4. The rest of the scores read: 4, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0*, 0, and 0.

This was the first instance of a team posting a single-digit total in men’s T20Is, breaking the previous record of 10 all out, recorded by Mongolia against Singapore in September 2023 and Isle of Man against Spain in 2022.

The 264-run margin is now the third-largest victory margin in men’s T20Is, trailing Zimbabwe's 290-run win over Gambia last month and Nepal’s 273-run triumph over Mongolia at the Asian Games in September 2023.

The win cemented Nigeria’s position at the top of the six-team group with two wins, while Ivory Coast languished at the bottom, having earlier been dismissed for 21 in their opening game against Sierra Leone.

Brief scores: Nigeria 271 for 4 (Salau 112, Okpe 65*, Runsewe 50, Dimitri 1-45) beat Ivory Coast 7 (Useni 3-0, Danladi 3-2, Aho 2-0) by 264 runs.