Before all the teams take their hit for their third game from tomorrow, there is a need for an honest review of the matches. First, none of the matches had posted results out of the reach of their rating on the ICC ranking log. But in case you’re out of touch with the respective placements of the teams in Kwubuka, we have them listed below :Kenya (22), Namibia (23), Rwanda (34), Nigeria (40), Botswana (41)...
The Rwandan Cricket Association, as she continues to help the girl-child dream anew, is very worthy of commendation. It is fitting that we are talking about the Rwandan journey in the same breath as girl-child. As the land of "A Thousand Hills" is rising like the phoenix, we call for everyone to support the African woman as she takes her place on the stage and dances with destiny. From June 6, 2021, in what is more than a game of cricket, there would be...
Nigeria's female national team is currently flying above our heads en route to Kigali, Rwanda to compete in the Kwibuka tournament. The excitement is tangible albeit unpredictable for cricket fans, even for the most ardent followers of the female game. This year's competition will see the hosts joined by Nigeria, Namibia, Botswana, and Kenya. The Ugandan team pulled out at the last minute due to a breach of the team's bio bubble during preparation....
In the last two months, there have been many activities in Lagos geared towards resurrecting grassroots cricket in the state. I understand that a Lagos State Cricket Stakeholder Forum has been set up to organize funding and structure for the development of the game in the state at the grassroots level. Under normal circumstances, this would be a laudable effort but you have to be close to the politics of Nigerian cricket to ask why this is coming up now....
Nigeria Head Coach, Asanka Gurusinha has today announced a 20 man list that will form the core of the country's national team for the rest of the year. This release comes on the heels of the National Men's Championships and the National Sports Festival, both of which were keenly watched by Asanka, his assistants and national selectors. The release presents more than a few surprises. Below, we try to decode what this all means....
Edo state’s men team outran their Kaduna State counterpart with 57 runs on Wednesday to emerge champion of the National Men’s Cricket Championship in Benin City, Edo State. Team Captain Peter Aho, a prominent member of the National Under-19 Cricket World Cup team last year in South Africa said the team owed their victory to discipline and the huge measure of support that they enjoyed from the Edo State Cricket Association....
It's been a minute. I know. It has not been for nothing. The past few weeks have witnessed plenty of cricket action across the nation. And I just wanted you to soak it all in without my pesky musings. Even if you have not been attentive, you would have come across a cricket post from all that has been happening especially in Edo State. The ancient city of Benin has been host to a host of talents (haha...see what I did there?), recognized and upcoming....
The on-going National Men’s Cricket Championship has entered a feverish pitch as Semi-Final Matches get underway with battle line draws between Lagos and Kaduna on Monday in Benin.Both teams boast truckloads of players with national caps under their belt and are both nursing sores from their last match defeats in the preliminaries. The uncanny similarity in the matches they both lost was that it happened in the last over....
Absolutely bonkers when the country’s finest line up against each other in a feast of cricket and we are here for the fireworks. To think that we will have two high-level competitions within one week or so of each other is just amazing. We are well on the way to making up for the lost time. The last time I felt anywhere near this level of excitement feels like a lifetime ago. Thankfully, we have come out of the doldrums. Shoutout to all the companies...
Both Kaduna and Oyo States have registered themselves in the Semi-final of the on-going National Men’s Cricket Championship after they each pick maximum points available in the two matches they have featured in so far. Kaduna extended their batting might over Ebonyi with 83 runs while Oyo dumped Rivers in 8.1 Overs having knocked off their wickets 66 runs in the first innings of the twenty Overs game. The two winning sides will square off...
The 2021 National Men's Cricket Championship entered its second phase in Benin today as Kaduna and Oyo states drew closer to picking the remaining two Semi-final slots at the ten-day event. Lagos and Edo had picked the first two Semifinals tickets. Kaduna, a powerhouse of the game in the country overran Rivers in their opening match earlier today with nine runs to make an early statement.The team featuring one of Nigeria's finest bowler, Isaac Okpe...
Lagos and Edo States served a nail-biting duel in the closing match of Pool A at the National Men's Championship in Benin City. The host state humbled the star-studded Lagos team with 4 runs.Despite the Loss, Lagos still topped the group leaving Edo to second place, while dashing the hopes of Anambra who had earlier in the day shoved Kwara aside hoping to ride on Edo's defeat to the Semis. Uthe Ogbimi, national under 19 Coach who is also working closely...
Eight teams will be on parade from Monday, March 22nd to 31st, 2021 when Umpire calls play for the National Cricket Men’s Championship at the Edo Boys High School, Cricket High-Performance Center in Benin City, Edo State. Yahaya, Ukwenya, President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation said the 10-day Championship is a key event on the Federation’s Calendar given the weight of international commitments that the country is committed to...
The first Female Cricket League in the country; The South-South Female League would be rounding off this weekend, with Super-Four playoff to crown the winner of the inaugural season in Benin-City, Edo State. Chairman of the Edo State Cricket Association and member representing the South-South Zone on the board of Nigeria Cricket Federation, Mr. Uyi Akpata said, “This event is a landmark event for us and the country. In fact, it is ...
T20 cricket is a short game but long in suspense, drama and pressure. The game to all intents and purposes is a Pressure game and played in a Pressure - Cooker environment. It is a game that is merciless, exacting, brutal and takes no prisoners. Demanding all in terms of spirit, soul and body, it is ultra-competitive and akin to Gladiators in a medieval Roman Amphitheater. It is an admixture of blood, sweat and fire. The players...
It is time to bid farewell to our heroes and welcome new champions. The 2021 Men and Women’s Cricket Championship will be a swansong for some and a launching pad for many. For those in the evening of their international career, they may want to leave on a high note. For those that the early morning sunshine is on their careers, they may want to announce their arrival with very loud statements. There will be an exchange of baton....
Few sights give greater joy than an Uthe Ogbimi classical on-drive or a flick off his pads. He was and still is a great batsman with an array of shots around the wicket. He pulled with relish, hooked with aplomb drove with supple wrists. For me, the real greatness of this genuine soldier of cricket is in imparting cricket knowledge and skills to youngsters. Uthe came alive in Coaching. Committed, passionate, resourceful...
Cricket is back and international cricket has been entertaining us since the action resumed. Though the match venues have not been occupied to capacity, the action has been titillating from the athletes. How often do you see superhuman feats? How often do you see them in cricket games? How often do you see two of them happen in the same game? A few hours ago, two super players showed us stuff of super people...
The Nigeria Cricket Federation has announced that the life of dedication and professionalism on the game by Professor Olajide Bademosi; who clocks 80 years old on February 25, 2021 is one that should be emulated by aspiring players of the game. President of the Federation, Professor Yahaha Ukwenya said Bademosi modeled what a complete athlete was. He excelled on and off the pitch. "He represented Nigeria for eighteen years and was captain of the national team...
Growing up as a teenager, in a football dominant society like Nigeria, the choice to go with cricket will naturally meet with some oppositions. For Chilemanya Destiny, he seemed to have walked into the game from the right side of fortune; his choice didn't meet much hostility, except for the threat of banning him from the game when he started coming home late from the cricket pitch. "My mum was not pleased that I came in late from practice, and she threatened to stop...
Today, Nigeria Cricket seems more like the center of (development) attraction on the continent. Not that things have been excellent, but in a post-covid era, where fear has shut shown most sporting centers, a little act of bravery can make one a super-hero. The story of the Nigeria Cricket Federation stepping up to give the game a push when many of her peers are holding back (albeit, understandably) has made a poster child of her. With some...
The 2nd edition of the National Under 17 Cricket Championship sponsored by PwC ended on Sunday February 7, 2021, with the South South team emerging the winner. Having recorded 93 runs in a tight 40 over finals match, the North-West team seemed set for a defence of the title they won last year at Abuja until the second innings when the bowling firepower of the South-South team came to the fore....
South-South teenage sensation Lucky Piety was the center of the National Finals of the Girls Under-17 Cricket Championship after leading her team to victory in the national event at the Edo Boys High School Cricket Oval on Sunday, January 31st, 2021. Rising from her record-breaking century, at the opening game against South West on Wednesday where Piety became the first Nigerian to achieve such feat in a T-20 match, she gave a...
Over the last couple few weeks, there has been a wave of cricketing excitement coursing through all the regions of the country. Boys and girls from all corners coming together to provide us with a carnival of cricket and camaraderie and it has been fantastic to watch. It is clear that the leadership of the NCF and her partner, PwC Nigeria, understand the importance of investing in the next generation as evidenced by the near-flawless execution of...
The Head Coach and High-Performance Manager of Cricket in Nigeria, Asanka Gurusinha who has been following the on-going Regional finals of the PwC National U-17 Cricket Championship has described the event as very important for the country's cricket development pathway."Events are important for Nigeria's grassroots development, and I have followed this very event and must say I am impressed at the level of coordination by the ...
More than 360 players would be fielded this weekend when the boys qualifier of the on-going PwC National U-17 Cricket Championship and the Nigeria Cricket Federation has informed that the entry is record entry on its own.Endurance Ofem, a former national male team captain, Chairman Development and Tournament Committee of the Federation who is overseeing the event informed that his team expects a very competitive...
President of Nigeria Cricket Federation Professor Yahaya Ukwenya has said the entry of close to 300 female Cricketers from 21 states last weekend for the on-going PwC National Under-17 Cricket Championship bodes well for the Country as a whole. According to him, "The effort that has been invested at the state level to raise these players to the competitive stage will be taken to a higher level at the national level...
The Under 17 Cricket Club now top the table at the end of week two at the Edo State Cricket League when they dismissed league favourites UNIBEN CC with three wickets on Sunday afternoon at the Edo College Turfs. The match was week two in the League and easily was in favour of the University team who had opened their first game in the league with 183runs...