Nigeria Announces Six-Nation Women’s T20 Cricket in Lagos

The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has announced a six-nation T20 International Cricket Tournament scheduled to hold between March 26th to April 4th, 2022 at the newly resurfaced Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Lagos.

President of NCF, Uyi Akpata, said at the weekend that the event will feature Rwanda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Cameroon and host country Nigeria.

“Our female national team has been one of the most improved of all our national teams in the last five years and our gender inclusion development agenda has thrown up massive talents that have left us with an ever-improving side. 

“This event is apart from celebrating the milestones that the Federation has achieved in raising tons of female cricketers through its grassroots project – it is set to become a part of the process,” observed Akpata.

The President added that creating opportunities for the national female team to constantly square up with tough African oppositions is a key objective in initiating the tournament.  He also believes it will go a long way in raising the bar for aspiring players.

The Nigerian team has been camped in Benin City for over a week at the Edo Boys High School High Performance Cricket Centre in Benin City under the watchful eyes of national coaches, trainers and selectors.

According to the President, the 30 players team that camped in Edo State  would be trimmed to a sizeable number before proceeding for the final round of camping in Lagos and eventually, the tournament proper.

Nigerian international, Blessing Etim, will captain the female Yellow-Greens (as the national team is called) and hope to make her experience count for the national team as the event gets underway in Lagos.

“Every match at the event will also count for each team’s T20 ranking point on the International Cricket Council’s log,” observed the NCF chief.

Akpata also said that beyond the players, Nigeria’s facilities will be showcased, along with the umpires that the country has also invested in in the last few years.

“A lot has happened in the game’s development of late, and events like this presents an opportunity to test and showcase all those,” he added.

He stressed that the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval that was resurfaced and upgraded to a ten-strip turf playing surface in January will be put to its first major use with the NCF Women’s T20 event, along with Nigeria umpires getting international caps on home soil.