ICC chiefs arrive as participants jet in tomorrow

• LOC declare Nigeria ready for tournament Some top officials of the International Cricket Council (ICC) have arrived in Nigeria, at the weekend, on a working visit. The officials, including ICC General Manager, Development, William Glenwright, and Development Manager, Africa, Patricia Kambarami.

Their visit coincides with the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup African Division 2 Qualifier, which will start on Friday.

The two ICC officials, who are in Lagos, will also visit Edo State and Abuja in a trip that is tied to the upswing in cricket activities and cricket development index in the country.

Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) President, Uyi Akpata, said while the two activities are happening at two separate ends of the country, they are linked.

“Nigeria’s recent developmental effort has aroused global interest and the consistent churning of positive data to back active engagement in the sport means that we will continue to get visits like this.

“Like never before, we have had dedicated promoters of the game, starting from the board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation and the audacious 250, 000 yearly enrolment target for new cricketers across the country too has seen our grassroots developmental team perform at unprecedented rate,” Akpata said.

Nigeria has won three consecutive international awards in the last four years, including the Global 2022 Best ICC Social Impact Programme, which was awarded for the works done with cricket as a tool for social change at the Internally Displaced People’s camp in Edo State.

Glenwright and Karambami will be touching base with a number of cricket initiatives across the country while they are in Nigeria.

MEANWHILE, Sierra Leone has been announced as the first of the seven teams that will