Nigeria is not fazed by the prospect of facing cricket giants such as South Africa and Zimbabwe at the five-nation T20 Invitational Tournament billed for Lagos this week, the president of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has said.
After a one-year break, the tournament returns for its fifth edition at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval, Lagos, from March 18 to 29.
Nigeria will welcome South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Ghana to the T20 tournament billed to hold at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval and UNILAG Cricket Oval from Wednesday in Lagos.
The teams are expected to start arriving from March 18 for the competition, which will end on March 29.
According to Akpata, everything has been put in place to ensure the smooth organisation of the tournament powered by Lotus Bank. He noted that the tournament is one of the programmes the NCF has devised in its efforts to popularise the sport and expose the Nigerian team to world-class competition.
Excited by the quality of opposition lined up to face Nigeria, Akpata enthused that “for the first time, a team from a Test member nation will be taking part in a tournament in Nigeria.
He noted that South Africans hardly go to other African countries for tournaments like this, adding, “For the South Africans to agree to participate in this tournament for the first time in Nigeria shows the level of confidence the international community has in the country and an eloquent endorsement of what we at the NCF have been doing of late.”
On the readiness of the Nigerian team, Akpata insisted that “the girls are good and ready to go. They will be competing against players of their age grade from some of the best cricket-playing nations on the continent.
“When they finished sixth at the U-19 World Cup, one of our girls emerged as the MVP, which shows how high the performances of our cricketers are.”
Akpata also spoke on the role of sponsors, pointing out that Lotus Bank, in particular, had committed significantly to the tournament.
“They have been outstanding and we appreciate their commitment. I can’t thank them enough,” the NCF boss said.
Since its inception as a bilateral series between Nigeria and Rwanda, the tournament has grown significantly in global recognition, competitive quality, and developmental impact, reinforcing Nigeria’s position as a leading hub for women’s cricket in Africa.
The Female Yellow Greens won the tournament for the first time in 2023 before surrendering the title to Tanzania in 2024, while Rwanda last won it in 2022.
Ahead of the 2026 tournament, 24 players are currently camping at the high-performance centre in Benin City, Edo State, battling to secure places in Nigeria’s final squad for the championship.