October 21, 2021
Sierra Leone Cricket Association men Patriots has won on Tuesday 19th October 2021 the first match of the ongoing bilateral series in Lagos Nigeria.
Debutant Edmond Ernest only drove from the off and created one run to equal the score after disgusting dot balls. That rise to equality served to maximize fears, keeping the alien army on the edge of their seats in the dugout.
The Sierra Leonean side had almost resigned to despair at the Unilag Oval when Captain Lansana Lamin displayed leadership. Like a soldier making his last try, the Captain held firmly onto the bat and with all the confidence required, he hit the ball for a decisive run that brought the Yellow-Greens of Nigeria to a loss in Tuesday’s bilateral opener.
At the very tense moment, CEO Philip Amara shrunk into fear from a corner in the dugout.
The Patriots from the other end had lost major grip on hope, but Coach Mustapha Kallon kept his guards, directing the actions from the frontline, whilst Technical Director Gabriel Anthony became the lifeline in the camp, reviewing tactics for victory. His words knew no loss and hey, it came to pass. We won by one run.
Head Coach for the Yellow-Greens, Asanka Gurusinga, could not believe the late swing on his side and had to express his dissatisfaction in the following terms:
“I am disappointed and the team is disappointed too because to win a T20 game, every department has to bat, bowl and field. Our fielding did not play and our bowling wasn’t up to the mark. When you do that, you can’t expect to win. To be honest, Sierra Leone played much better. I knew it is going to be a very difficult game because the unknown is a difficult thing. Underdogs are the most difficult to deal with. We are going to regroup tonight to come back strong.”
As part of promise made, CEO Philip Amara offered the Men’s Patriots one hundred dollars for winning the opener.
Muniru Kpaka won Man of the Match award and was given a plaque and one hundred dollars.
This is the first match the Sierra Leone National Senior Men’s team has ever won in Nigeria against Nigeria.
Day two of the Bilateral Series will continue on Wednesday at the Unilag Cricket Oval, starting in the morning hours.