The Game of Cricket appears to be new to Nigeria, and many Nigerians hardly understand what the game is and how it is played. I am sure if you ask any Nigerian if they know what cricket is and how it is played around 90% of the respondent would likely say no. However, Cricket is recorded as the first organized sport played in the country by Nigerians even long before football and other games came to steal the peoples’ hearts.
In recent years there has been a new wave of optimism blowing around the members of the Nigerian cricket family, and more and more people are embracing cricket, and it is hoped that if the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) continued with its development programme, anchored on spreading the sport to all parts of the country through schools, the country would join the elite of the game in no time. But such dreams were discarded by a sudden shift in focus and strange political considerations that saw the country pulling out of major international competitions.
Recently, Nigeria’s U-19 male cricket side, the Junior Yellow Greens, qualified for the 2020 ICC U-19 World Cup slated for next January in South Africa. They sealed their qualification after winning their last match against Sierra Leone at the ICC World Cup Africa qualifiers in Windhoek, Namibia, drawing extensive jubilation amongst sports enthusiasts. The team ended the qualifiers with an unbeaten run against Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Sierra Leone and hosts Namibia. Nigeria’s victory over Sierra Leone in a tension-soaked encounter was the highlight of the week-long run of victories against African powerhouses. Nigeria recorded the required total of 139 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 44.2 overs in what could be described as the best performance in the tournament. The team emerged as the first team in the whole of North/West Africa to qualify for the ICC U-19 World Cup.
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