Nigeria’s senior men’s cricket team has a big task ahead. They will host five teams from Africa in Abuja for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Africa Qualifier C. Only two teams will qualify, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
The tournament runs from October 18 to 26 at two cricket ovals in Abuja. Nigeria will play against Uganda, Zambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Gambia in a round-robin format. The top two teams will move on to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in 2027.
Chima Akachukwu, returning to the team after a long break, will captain the side for the first time. Key players like Peter Aho, Isaac Danladi, Elochukwu Ndubudem, Miracle Akhigbe, Sylvester Okpe, and Selim Salau are expected to lead. Young talents Ali Rahmon, Abdullahi Ismail, and Kenneth Boniface also made the squad, along with Isaac Okpe, Abdulmumuni Mohammed, Kareem Ridwan, and Vincent Adewoye.
This tournament comes after a successful year for Nigeria’s youth cricket. The U-19 men’s team has moved up to Division One, and the U-19 women have qualified for the ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup for the second time in a row.
Okpe shared the team’s ambition for the World Cup. "As a team, we set a goal to get into the World Cup, and it starts now. This is a stepping stone for us to get to the World Cup stage," he said.
Uyi Akpata, the President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, called the competition an important chance to grow the sport in Africa. He thanked the Federal Government and the National Sports Commission for their support, as well as corporate sponsors and individuals. He expects to see quality cricket and fair play throughout the tournament.
Uganda is seen as a strong team after qualifying for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They are led by Riazat Ali Shah and include players like Robinson Obuya, Alpesh Ramjani, and Kenneth Waiswa.
Zambia, under the captaincy of Javid Patel, hopes to use their experience from the West Africa Trophy held in Abuja in December 2025. Mozambique, managed by Agostinho Navicha, features Joao Huo, who scored 126 runs against Lesotho in June 2026.
Lesotho, led by Tsepiso David Chaoana, set a national T20 record of 221 for six against Eswatini on June 7. The Gambia, under the captaincy of Bubacarr Kuyateh, rounds out the competition.
Nigeria will start against Gambia on October 20 at 1.30 PM. They will then face Zambia on October 21 at the same time. After a break on October 22, they will meet Mozambique at 9.30 AM on October 23 and Lesotho at 1.30 PM on October 24. They will finish the tournament against Uganda at 1.30 PM on October 25.
Fans can watch the matches live on ICC.tv.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇