By Abiodun Adewale
Nigerian cricket players and enthusiasts who witnessed the two-day trophy tour of the ICC Men’s World Cup trophy in Nigeria believe the event will further inspire the growth of Nigerian cricket, The PUNCH reports.
Although Nigeria did not qualify for the 2023 tournament which will hold from October 5 to November 19, the country along with South Africa and Uganda were the three African countries selected for the trophy parade.
The grand reception for the trophy took place at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval, Onikan, Lagos, with about 400 kids, fans and other enthusiasts joining the national team players and officials.
Captain of the male senior team, Sylvester Okpe, said the trophy tour will inspire the Yellow Greens in their quest to reach the World Cup as well.
“The trophy coming back to Nigeria is a big motivation and it shows we are doing well globally. We are excited to witness it again and it is also a challenge to play better in forthcoming tournaments so that we can be part of the ICC World Cup as well. We don’t just want to play cricket, we want to play on the big stage,” Okpe said.
Female Yellow Greens captain, Blessing Etim, also described the tour as a motivation to build on their recent success after winning the NCF Women’s T20i Invitational for the first time.
“I witnessed the trophy tour in 2019, it was amazing and awesome, and it is something to always remember.
“Female cricket has grown in the last five years. It is called hard work. The trophy tour is going to inspire ladies to work hard, and also see themselves playing outside Africa,” Etim told The PUNCH.
Nigerian cricket commentator, Seun Ajidagba, also relished the participation of future cricket players.
“This year’s edition is unique based on the wonderful plans the cricket board put in place and more importantly the involvement of Nigerian kids who play the game of cricket and who are on holiday to witness this,” Ajidagba said.
Nigeria has won four global developmental awards between 2019 and 2023 including qualifying for its first World Cup in 2019.
This year, Nigeria was named the winner of the 100 per cent Female Cricket Initiative of the Year Global Award. This was on the back of a successful girl-child campaign in Zamfara state that yielded over 20, 000 entrants in 2022.
Nigeria’s Women’s National Team also won; for the first time, the NCF Women’s T20i Invitational Tournaments after hosting it for four years; this year, the previous editions had been won by Rwanda national Women’s Cricket Team.