Sports
ICC W’Cup Trophy Arrives Nigeria, Today
The trophy of the International Cricket Council’s World Cup will arrive in Nigeria on Monday for a three-day tour of the country.
The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), in a statement yesterday said the tour is part of the build-up to the 2019 World Cup.
“Nigeria, in spite of not being eligible to participate in the World Cup competition in the UK in June, was picked as one of the countries trophy that would visit.
“This was in recognition of the country’s growing interest in the game,” the NCF President, Prof. Yahaya Ukwenya, said in the statement.
He said he and his team in the NCF board could not have thought about this about 18 months ago, when they assumed leadership of the federation.
“I believe we have communicated to the world how passionate our team is, in several ways, and how ready we are to grow the game.
“In these few months that we have run cricket as a new board, our zeal is what has earned us this” he added.
According to the statement, the trophy would be hosted in Abuja and Lagos.
While in Abuja, it would be received by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung.
It would then visit some iconic places, such as the Shehu Musa Yar’ adua Cultural Centre and the Katampe Hill.
In Lagos, the trophy would be received by the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, before being displayed at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval on Lagos Island.
Also, Uyi Akpata, the NCF Vice-President, said in the statement that having the trophy in Nigeria was indeed an honour to the country.
“The tour of the World Cup Trophy is presently the biggest activity in the game of cricket and Nigeria has been placed on that map by sheer effort of the dedicated people that make up the leadership of NCF.
“We have a lot of people in the cricket community that have been yearning to have a taste of the World Cup Trophy.
“We are working out a very fair ground that will be inclusive for all the groups represented in Nigeria, including students, members of the diplomatic community, sports professionals, enthusiast and fans” he said.
Akpata added that the efforts of the board since inception has seen Nigeria move from Division 2 to Division 1 in the under-19 category.
“The hitherto-unranked women’s national team has been ranked 36th in the world.
“The NCF also kicked off a grass roots development programme through which more than 3,000 kids were reached in 2018, with double that figure being targeted in 2019,” he said.
The World Cup trophy will depart Nigeria on Wednesday.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.
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