NCF to hold six-nation women’s invitational T20i cricket tourney in Lagos

Uyi

Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) President, Uyi Akpata, has confirmed the second NCF Women’s T20 International Cricket Tournament will hold in Lagos from March 19 to 26, 2023.

Akpata said preparation for a successful event began immediately after the maiden outing last year.

“We have world-class facilities across the country, as well as a successful talent-recruitment programme. So, the NCF Women’s T20 International is one of the avenues to showcase, groom and maximise the use of those facilities. The plans have been in place since last year,” he said.

At the first edition, Rwanda women’s national team beat Nigeria to win the event at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos. The event featured Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gambia, who also used it to stake their claim for ranking points on the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20i log.

He said this year’s event would feature all the teams that participated in the maiden edition, with Cameroun being the only first-time entry in the event, adding that both the Tafawa Balewa Square and the University of Lagos Ovals are being put in the best shape to host the tournament.

“Nigeria’s Women’s national team is one of the most improved on the continent in recent times, and the rate of adoption and investment in women’s cricket across the country makes the event a major part of our development agenda,” he said.

The NCF, apart from winning a global award for its development efforts in 2022, also commissioned a turf wicket at the Iyoba College (an all-girl school in Benin City) to drive deeper girl-child adoption of the game.

“From our deliberate investment in the female gender, we have a retinue of talents challenging virtually every established player in the national team. Just like last