Cricket: Nigeria Target U-19 World Cup Ticket In Tanzania

The Junior Yellow-Greens of Nigeria will on Monday launch their quest for a spot in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka 2024 with an encounter with Sierra Leone at the University of Dar -es-Salam (UDSM) Cricket Oval in Tanzania.

The eight-day event, which got underway on Sunday with a rain-washed doubleheader between host Tanzania and Kenya on the one hand and Namibia and Uganda on the other, means that weather could be a factor in deciding the series.

Nigeria’s head coach, former national team player Daniel Gim, said his team is in good shape and looks forward to making the best of the talents that the team is made of.

“Mental preparation and game awareness are things we have been focusing on,” he said. “Our bowling is our trump card. It should take us over the line with the trio of Prosper Useni, captain Ridwan Abdulkareem and Chiemelie Udekwe at the front. In a round-robin event, everyone is our rival, and we will tackle them as they come.”

Only one World Cup ticket is being vied for by the six participating countries in Dar-es-Salaam. The teams include Nigeria, Kenya, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and host Tanzania.

President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, says Nigeria’s team is a product of grassroots campaigns and unrelenting commitment from stakeholders to grow the game.

“On the continents now, our efforts are being recognised, as more of our players are matching-up with the best,” he said. “We have, on several occasions, rattled the existing powerhouses of the game and hence every team here is very wary of Nigeria at this event.

“On our part, we have presented a team that is solely homegrown and a reflection of our best talents at the age category. We are more than confident we would be well-represented.”

Nigeria’s team, as part of their preparation, had a two-week drill at one of the best Cricket facilities in India in May. And, ahead of the games in Tanzania took on a select Rwandan side in Kigali in a three-way ODI tune-up game where they won two and lost one.

Nigeria had qualified for the final rounds of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka 2024 through a Division-2 Qualifier hosted in Abuja in October 2022, where Kenya and Sierra Leone also picked their slots.