‘ Nigeria to host Tanzania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone’
THE Main Organising Committee ( MOC) of the fifth Nigeria Cricket Federation ( NCF) Women’s T20 Invitational Tournament has announced that Tanzania will participate in the four- nation event scheduled to hold from February 23 to March 3 in Lagos.
Ranked 19th in the world, the Tanzanian team would be making their first appearance at the event that has shared its winnings so far between Nigeria and Rwanda.
MOC Chairman, Chuma Anosike, described the Tanzanian women’s team at the event as a major achievement, given that they are ranked better than any of the other teams in the competition.
“Nigeria, the host and defending champion, is ranked 29th in the world, Rwanda is three steps ahead of us at 26, while Sierra Leone is at 39. Their inclusion raises the bar for the event, and the potential for an increased number of eyeballs that will watch the matches globally,” he said. The event will run for eight days at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos. The Nigeria team, the Female Yellow- Greens, has been in camp since last week and hopes to put up a commanding performance at their ground to defend the event they won last year. Nigeria’s head coach, Leke Oyede, has asked for support from home fans, saying his team will appreciate supporters coming out to cheer them on match days when the event begins.
“We are doing our best to prepare. I believe we have a better team now because most of the players have had ample playing time between last year and now. This includes international exposure and the recently concluded South- South Female League. Our hard work and the support of home fans will go a long way,” he said
The tournament’s first ball will be on February 25, with Tanzania squaring off with 2022 champions, Rwanda, by 10.00 a. m., before Nigeria’s encounter with its West African rival, Sierra Leone by 2.15 p. m.
Nigeria’s team will be led by its long- standing captain and the most- capped women cricketer in the country, Blessing Etim.