The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 Cup trophy will arrive in Nigeria on August 29 on a two-day tour of the country, the Nigerian Cricket Federation (NCF) has said.
Nigeria is one of three African countries listed by the world body to receive cricket’s most prized silverware ahead of this year’s championship.
According to NCF President, Uyi Akpata, the Trophy Tour, which began on June 26 at 120,000 feet above the earth, before making a stunning landing at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad, India, would arrive in Abuja on August 29 and berth in Lagos the following day.
“Nigeria will be a major stop for the ICC Men’s T20 Cup Trophy that is currently on tour of 18 countries globally, and that is major for us. Being the second successive time in Nigeria is a huge win for our developmental effort,” Akpata said.
The trophy is expected to arrive from Uganda and leave for South Africa after its two-day stay in the country.
Akpata said the trophy would be received by the NCF board and the Nigerian cricket community in Abuja before being handed over to new Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Senator John Enoh.
“It would be received by Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, before being put on public display at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval, the game’s most revered ground in the country.
“I believe the back-to-back Trophy Tour of Nigeria, first in 2019 and now in 2023, shows how Nigeria, as an emerging cricket development hotbed, is key for the continent. And this is an appreciation to those who have, and are still sacrificing to see the game attain an enviable height in the country,” he said.
Nigeria has won four global developmental awards between 2019 and 2023, including qualifying for its first Cup in 2019.
This year, Nigeria was named the winner for 100 per cent Women 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 this year, the NCF Women’s T20i Invitational Tournament after hosting it for four years. The previous editions had been won by Rwanda’s national women’s cricket team.
“There are positive developments around the game, and the Trophy Tour will only help add more spark to the already excited community we have here,” Akpata enthused.
