For many of us, when we were being taught cricket, it was batting, bowling and fielding in that order. The coaches would usually stand in as umpire/facilitator and members of the batting side would take turns to man the scorebook or scoreboard. This was “the law”, and together with the tagline “the Umpire’s decision is final”, the game never felt more complete. Fast forward all these years later and the role of the umpire, while not at the same level as the willow...
The Nigeria Cricket Federation held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, 18th of December at the Media Centre of the Abuja National Stadium. The 2021 AGM, the first one since the newly inaugurated board, led by Mr. Uyi Akpata came into office last September was attended by delegates and stakeholders from every part of the country and was preceded by a board meeting a day earlier. Some key highlights of the meeting included a presentation of the...
The 2021/22 Edo State Cricket League has gone on a two-week Christmas break after last weekend’s encounters, leaving the defending Champions, Under 17 Cricket Club as league leaders after the fourth week of the new season. The Team boasting of the core of the nation’s under-17 national team players took out perennial rivals, No-Limit Cricket Club by 11 runs on Saturday, December 18 at the Edo Boys High School, Adolor, to remain unscathed after their...
In a few hours, the AGM of the Nigeria Cricket Federation will be held at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja. The question on the lips of many is "What can we expect from this new board?" We at TheMiddleStump have been wondering too. That is until we got the opportunity to take a peek into the thoughts of the man steering the affairs of the game in our country, Mr. Uyi Akpata. It will be too much selfishness if we don't share some of those thoughts with you. ...
The defending champions of The Edo Cricket League, the U17 Cricket Club saw their first taste of action this weekend and left an indelible mark on their first real opponent to prove that last season's success was indeed not a fluke. After securing a win by walkover last weekend against UNIBEN Cricket Club, and parading mostly the national U17 players, the team made light work of Crusaders Cricket Club. David Abiebhode took 5 wickets in 2 devastating overs...
It’s been over a week since we got back home from the regional T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Kigali, Rwanda, where The Cranes of Uganda picked up the sole ticket on offer. It was a good tournament all around. Well organized by the RCA, keenly contested games, amazing pitches, and great weather for the most part. It was great entertainment for the neutrals…but we are not neutrals. Nigeria fans trooped into Kigali in their numbers to support the Yellow Greens....
The new season of Edo Cricket Leagues flagged off last Saturday, November 27, 2021, at one of the few turf wickets in the country, with a number of the national team players listed for action for the 10-week play. Chairman of Edo State Cricket Association, who doubles as the President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, says this season has more teams competing than the previous year due to the growth the game has witnessed in the state....
Sanath saw the future. Years before the first-ever T20 ball was bowled in county cricket in 2003, Sanath had fashioned a new tactic that has stayed relevant to date. So flawless was this approach, he led Sri Lanka to a World Cup triumph in 1996 without losing a game. Many batters, indeed, nations have since fashioned styles after him and the batting game has not remained the same. T20 is the shortest format in international cricket. It means you have ONLY 120 balls...
Nigeria’s opening bowler Rasheed Abolarin has been ruled out of the Regional Final ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier billed for Rwanda from Wednesday, November 17 to Sunday, November 2021 due to a knee injury. The Lagos Asians Cricket Club player picked up a knee injury which has ruled him out of the tournament and his position is now taken by left-arm bowler Taiwo Mohammed, who is making a return to the team. According to National Coach and High ...
The Nigeria National Senior Men’s team, the Yellow-Green will this week begin a four-day six-match session for the ticket to represent the continent at the next T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. Uyi Akpata, President of the Federation said that the team preparations for this event have been in top order and he expects nothing but a fight along with the other competitors, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. “We have had the team training together for weeks and had...
...yes, you read the title right. When the team to face West African neighbors Sierra Leone was announced, many of us were sure that this was the team that would step out to defend Nigeria’s honor in the ICC Men’s T20WC Africa Qualifier. We thought that the 6-match T20I series was a chance to give the boys some match practice while racking up a few ranking points. We can pretty much check those boxes as done. After all, 5 wins out of 6...
While most of us were watching the youthful Yellow Greens of the Nigerian side ride roughshod over the Patriots of Sierra Leone with their 5-1 Lampooning of their visitors, the Nigerian handlers were growing grey hairs. The victory against Sierra Leone wasn’t in any way a measure of the might they intended to approach Kigali’s qualifiers with, and the incessant struggles with top-order batsmen compounded the yo-yo form of the bowlers until Peter Aho came to the rescue....
Whatever is written (and said) about the six-match bilateral encounter between Nigeria and Sierra Leone, the lone run of youngster Peter Aho will form the fulcrum of the analyses henceforth. Six wickets in 3.4 overs, one maiden, and five runs! You just can’t have a better game than that - at least says the International Cricket Council’s T20i statistics page. For now, the sun revolves around the shy bowler and he seems to have enough frame to carry the weight of his achievement....
More than we promised, the Lagos Cricket Stakeholders Women's T20 delivered beyond the expectations of everyone. Starting with a bang and ending in fireworks, Lagos State once again underlined her excellence when it comes to delivery of style and flair. All the matches were live-streamed on YouTube for the viewing pleasure of cricket lovers both home and abroad, there was an abundance of representatives from various print media houses, and two notable TV stations - TVC and Tiwantiwa TV...
The maiden edition of Lagos cricket stakeholders female t20 is about to come to an end as Ibeju-Lekki Cricket Club and Lagos Island Cricket Club make it to the finals leaving out team Epe and team Ikeja to battle for 3rd place. Sunday afternoon's Lagos Cricket Female T20 clash between Ibeju Lekki CC and Lagos Island will be the most talked-about Female T20 final this year. This will be the first time the Team Lagos Female side will be playing ...
Barring any glitch, the Nigerian team for the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier will be touching down in Kigali, on Monday, September 27, to begin the Covid-19 protocols ahead of the expected testy encounters. For once, the spotlight will be on the lads from Nigeria, for the obvious role they played at the last edition where they ran away ‘unexpectedly’, with the lone World Cup ticket at the event, to the chagrin of tournament favorites....
Head Coach and High-Performance Manager of Nigeria's Cricket Team, Asanka Gurusinha, has said the series of defeats that the national male team has undergone in the ongoing Pearl of Africa T20 series in Uganda is good for the team. The Sri-Lankan former Cricket World Cup winner said this as the team rounded up preparation to engage Kenya and Uganda in the last two final matches of the ongoing tournament on Tuesday. “They are living up to our expectations....
If you are a Nigerian, a cricket lover, and a frequent reader of our blog it won’t be news to you that both the senior Female and Male national teams are out of the country flying the nation’s flag. The women seek a spot at the ICC women’s T20 world cup while the men hope to shave off the rust, and sharpen their skills while learning in the process as they prepare for the ICC men T20 world cup qualifiers in October by participating in the Pearl of Africa T20I series...
The National Men’s Cricket Team has jetted out to Entebbe in Uganda on Thursday afternoon to honor a Tri-Series with the national teams of Uganda and Kenya which get underway from Friday, September 10, 2021. The event which is the first international outing for the national team in close to two years owing to the pandemic will see the new-look national team put to test. Asanka Gurusinha, Nigeria’s foreign national Cricket Coach and High-Performance...
Nigeria women's Cricket team began her ICC T20 Women's World Cup Qualification Campaign on a sound note with a 5 wickets victory over West Africa rivals Sierra Leone in Gaborone, Botswana on Thursday. Sierra Leone had won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening game of group B at the ICC T20 qualifying event. Opening bowling pair for Nigeria Abdulquadri Taiwo and Efosa Joy bowled decently with the latter getting the 1st wicket...
Excitements trickle down my spine as a cricketer and as a Nigerian, an associate cricketing nation as international cricket action is upon us. We step into the spotlight this time in Botswana, host of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers, 2021. The qualifier matches will be played as a Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I), the shortest form of women's international cricket. Nigeria and 10 other cricketing nations will slog it out...
After the previous win by Kaduna state in the first ODI, which was delayed due to rain, but with the aid of D/L a revised target of 193 runs with reduced overs (35) was set for the Uganda U19 team who lost to Kaduna State by 4 runs, the Ugandan U19 team welcomed the Kaduna stateside to the Lugogo Cricket Oval for the 2nd ODI match of the series. The skipper won the toss and asked the visitors to field....
If like me, you've been trying to catch up on all the cricket we've missed out on, then you should have been following all the cricket going on presently. The first test of the series between England and India just ended in a draw, Australia is touring Bangladesh ahead of the World T20 and of course, the latest baby in cricket: The Hundred. The biggest thing on TV now is happening across England and that is The Hundred...
Growing up as a young boy in Lagos, I was lucky to have been admitted into a cricket-playing secondary school. One of the highlights of the summer holidays for me was the Holiday Coaching Clinic. My mates and I looked forward to it with gusto. Over a one-month period, we would work with some of the most talented young coaches in Lagos, make new friends (and rivals) from other schools, and by the end of it, be better cricketers...
As it is with a duck on the surface of the water, it has been somewhat calm and quiet around the cricket circle across the country. But beneath the surface of the water, there has been rigorous paddling in some quarters. Starting with the most recent, let me bring you a few of the happenings in our world. Just yesterday, the 3rd day of July, the facility manager (Lagos Office) for the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Richson Tetteh, walked down the aisle...
From the capital of the land of a thousand hills, the amazon rose. The stage was set, the drum rolled, the actions took place, and the curtains dropped on the Kwibuka 2021 edition where we saw 5 cricketing nations battle it out for supremacy. It was an exciting past week of cricket, and you’d agree with me that every match day picked up momentum from where it was left the day before. We saw amazing team performances as well as individual performances...
Just over a week ago, our girls jetted off to Kwibuka, Rwanda to represent about 200 million of us in this beautiful game of cricket. Many of us who followed them have kept keen eyes on their performances against all the nations they have come up against at the tournament. Every international competition is an opportunity for us to assess our many grassroots development programs scattered throughout the country. To start with, a big kudos...
There's always a sense of anticipation leading up to and during competitions. The anticipation from many angles. The anticipation from the organizers, hoping that their many months of preparation will be worth it. The anticipation from the officials, knowing that each competition is unique; and that they need to put their best feet forward. The anticipation from the fans, expecting nothing but wins. The anticipation from the athletes, getting ready to...
It has been an interesting week of cricket so far with stunning individual performances, upsets, and last-over victories. With most teams coming into the competition rusty with little or no competitive matches due to COVID-19 restrictions, all teams took little or no time to sharpen themselves up and got right into the groove of the game. The beautiful Gahanga International Stadium, Kigali hosts this prestigious tournament. ...
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...