President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has confirmed that the second edition of the NCF Women’s T20 International Cricket Tournament will be hosted in Lagos between March 19th and 26th.
Akpata confirmed in Lagos that, works had begun to have the second edition of the event since the successful hosting of the maiden edition was concluded, last year.
“We have world-class facilities across the country and have a successful talent-recruitment program as well. So, the NCF Women’s T20 International is one of the avenues to showcase, groom, and maximize the use of those facilities. The plans have been in place since last year, ” he said.
At the first edition, Rwanda Women’s National team beat Nigeria to emerge winners at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos. The event also featured Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Gambia, who also used the event to stake their claim for ranking points on the International Cricket Council T20i log.
He added that this year’s event will feature all the teams that participated in the maiden edition, with Cameroon being the only first-time entry in the event. Additionally that both the Tafawa Balewa Square and the University of Lagos Ovals are being put in the best shape as the two venues will host the tournament.
According to Akpata, “Nigeria’s Women’s national team is one of the most improved on the continent in recent times, and the rate of adoption and investment in women’s cricket across the country makes the event a major part of our development agenda.”
The Nigeria Cricket Federation, apart from winning a global award for its development efforts in 2022, also commissioned a turf wicket at the Iyoba College (an all-girl school in Benin City) to drive deeper girl-child adoption of the game of Cricket.
“From our deliberate investment in the female gender, we have a retinue of talents challenging virtually every established player in the national team. Just like last year, where we had some Under 19 players represent the country and also proved themselves at the maiden event, we may be having new challengers for the supposed established players in the national teams,” he added.
The eight-day tournament also includes a rest day, where the players would be taken on a guided tour of Lagos, while the event would be rounded-off with a colorful closing event on Sunday, March 26th.
