The Nigeria national cricket team is the men's team that represents the country of Nigeria in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Nigeria since the late 19th century, and the national team played their first match in 1904, when a team representing the Lagos Colony played the Gold Coast Colony.[6] The Nigeria Cricket Association has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 2002.[7]
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| Nickname(s) | Yellow Greens[1] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Nigeria Cricket Federation | |||||||||
| Personnel | ||||||||||
| Captain | Sylvester Okpe | |||||||||
| Coach | Steve Tikolo[2] | |||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| Twenty20 debut |  Nigeria v. North West(Boland Park, South Africa; 14 September 2018) | |||||||||
| International Cricket Council | ||||||||||
| ICC status | Associate member (2002) | |||||||||
| ICC region | Africa | |||||||||
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| International cricket | ||||||||||
| First international |  Lagos Colony v. Gold Coast  (Lagos, 25 May 1904) | |||||||||
| Twenty20 Internationals | ||||||||||
| First T20I | v  Kenya at Kyambogo Cricket Oval, Kampala; 20 May 2019 | |||||||||
| Last T20I | v  Botswana at Nigeria Cricket Federation Oval 1, Abuja; 28 November 2024 | |||||||||
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| T20 World Cup Qualifier appearances | 3[a] (first in 2019) | |||||||||
| Best result | 4th (2021) | |||||||||
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| As of 28 November 2024 | ||||||||||
History
editEarly years
editCricket has been played in Nigeria since the late 19th century when the game was introduced by the British.[8] Contacts between the administration in Lagos and their counterparts in Gold Coast (now Ghana) led to an international at Race Course (now Tafawa Balewa Square), Lagos on 25 May 1904,[9][10] the Gold Coast winning by 22 runs.[6]
The match became an annual fixture and for the first three matches was multi-racial. The fourth fixture in December 1906 was for Europeans only, and the African population started their own annual fixture in 1907. Internationals stopped for the First World War, and did not restart until the mid-1920s.[6]
Between the two world wars, cricket began to become more formally organised in the country with two cricket associations for the Europeans and Africans being formed in 1932 and 1933 respectively. First-class cricketers from England began to appear in the annual matches against Gold Coast,[6] and the 1939 match, the last before World War II, ended in a 58-run win for the Gold Coast.[11]
Matches resumed after the war with a five-day match in Lagos in 1947 which ended in a draw.[12] The 1949 match went the way of the Gold Coast.[13] As the number of Europeans working in the country reduced, the quality of the African players increased and cricket began to be organised on multi-racial lines in 1956.[6]
Post independence
edit
Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, there was much interest in cricket. Annual matches against Sierra Leone and The Gambia began in 1964, and were evenly contested until the late 1970s, when football began to become more popular in the country. Cricket began a process of decline, and when Tanzania toured in 1974, Nigeria lost two of the three matches and drew the other. They also lost heavily to the MCC in 1976. Internal problems with both the Nigeria Cricket Association and in Nigeria itself led to a decline in standards, though Nigeria formed a majority of the players on the West Africa cricket team[6] that became an ICC associate member in 1976.[14]
The West Africa team took part in the ICC Trophy tournaments of 1982 and 1997 before withdrawing from the 2001 tournament in Ontario.[15] Nigeria still continued to play on their own on occasion,[6] though they sometimes withdrew from tournaments, as at the 1998 Africa Cricket Association Championship.[16] The West African Cricket Conference ceased to exist in 2002,[6] and Nigeria became an associate member of the ICC in their own right the same year.[7]
ICC membership
editNigeria's first tournament after becoming an ICC member on their own was the 2002 Africa Cup in Zambia. Nigeria finished fourth in their group after their only win of the tournament against Malawi.[17] They finished 5th in the Africa Cricket Association Championships in 2004, their only win coming against the last-placed Tanzania, thus failing to qualify for the 2005 ICC Trophy.[18]
In August 2006, Nigeria took part in Division Two of the World Cricket League Africa Region in Tanzania,[19] finishing last.[20] This originally relegated them to Division Three,[6] though they are not playing in that tournament in 2008.[21] They won the North West Africa Championship in 2007[22] and 2008.[23] Nigeria played in Division Two of the World Cricket League Africa Region in 2008 and came second hence qualifying for 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven. They came 3rd in the tournament thus remaining in the division .[21] In May 2011 Nigeria participated in the 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven in Botswana.[24] Nigeria came second in tournament, thus qualifying for 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Six. Then the team went to South Africa in May 2011 to participate in 2011 ICC Africa Division Two (T20) en route to qualification of 2012 ICC World Twenty20. They won the tournament and qualified for 2011 ICC Africa Division One.[25]
In August 2018, they were included in the 2018 Africa T20 Cup tournament.[26][27]
2018–present
editIn April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all Twenty20 matches played between Nigeria and other ICC members since 1 January 2019 have the T20I status.[28] Nigeria's first T20I match was against Kenya on 20 May 2019, after finishing second in the North-Western sub-region qualification group, advancing to the Regional Final of the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Africa Qualifier tournament.[29]
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- Kenya won the toss and elected to field.
- First ever T20I match for Nigeria.
In July 2019, the ICC suspended Zimbabwe Cricket, with the team barred from taking part in ICC events.[30] As a result of their suspension, the ICC confirmed that Nigeria would replace them in the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament.[31]
Grounds
editThe 2,000-capacity Tafawa Balewa Square Oval in Lagos is the largest cricket stadium in Nigeria.[32]
Tournament history
editWorld Cup
edit- 1975: Not eligible – Not an ICC member[7]
- 1979 to 2003: See West African cricket team
- 2007 to present: Did not qualify[18]
ICC World T20 Qualifier
editICC Trophy
edit- 1979 to 2001: See West Africa cricket team
- 2005: Did not qualify[18]
ICC World Cricket League
edit- 2009: 3rd place (Division Seven)
- 2011: 2nd place (Division Seven)
- 2011: 5th place (Division Six)
- 2013: 1st place (Division Seven)
- 2013: 2nd place (Division Six)
- 2014: 4th place (Division Five)
- 2016: 6th place (Division Five)
ICC World Cricket League Africa Region
editRecords and statistics
editInternational Match Summary — Nigeria[33]
Last updated 28 November 2024
| Playing Record | ||||||
| Format | M | W | L | T | NR | Inaugural Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twenty20 Internationals | 62 | 33 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 20 May 2019 |
Twenty20 International
edit- Highest team total: 271/4 v. Ivory Coast on 24 November 2024 at Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval, Lagos.[34]
- Highest individual score: 112, Selim Salau v. Ivory Coast on 24 November 2024 at Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval, Lagos.[35]
- Best individual bowling figures: 6/5, Peter Aho v. Sierra Leone on 24 October 2021 at University of Lagos Cricket Oval, Lagos.[36]
|
Most T20I runs for Nigeria[37]
|
Most T20I wickets for Nigeria[38]
|
T20I record versus other nations[33]
Records complete to T20I #2996. Last updated 28 November 2024.
| Opponent | M | W | L | T | NR | First match | First win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v. Full members | |||||||
 Ireland |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 October 2019 | |
 Zimbabwe |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 November 2023 | |
| vs Associate Members | |||||||
| Botswana |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 May 2019 | 21 May 2019 |
 Cameroon |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 December 2022 | 5 December 2022 |
 Canada |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 October 2019 | |
 Eswatini |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 December 2022 | 4 December 2022 |
 Gambia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 December 2022 | 4 December 2022 |
 Ghana |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 May 2019 | 22 May 2019 |
 Hong Kong |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 October 2019 | |
 Ivory Coast |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 November 2024 | 24 November 2024 |
 Jersey |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 October 2019 | |
| Kenya |
12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 20 May 2019 | 16 September 2021 |
 Namibia |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 November 2023 | 18 March 2024 |
 Oman |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 23 October 2019 | |
 Mozambique |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 December 2022 | 1 December 2022 |
 Rwanda |
5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 October 2023 | 4 October 2023 |
 Saint Helena |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 November 2024 | 23 November 2024 |
 Sierra Leone |
11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 October 2021 | 20 October 2021 |
 Tanzania |
5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 November 2021 | 26 November 2023 |
 Uganda |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 21 September 2021 | |
 United Arab Emirates |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 October 2019 | |
Other First Class records
editPerformances by Nigerian cricketers in World Cricket League since 2009
| Current players | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Matches | Runs | Wickets |
| Dotun Olatunji | 18 | 599 | 0 |
| Kunle Adegbola | 34 | 588 | 33 |
| Endurance Ofem | 32 | 521 | 15 |
| Ademola Onikoyi | 34 | 502 | 1 |
| Ricky Sharma | 16 | 284 | 0 |
| Segun Olayinka | 29 | 584 | 0 |
| Olajide Bejide | 31 | 556 | 9 |
| Joshua Ogunlola | 29 | 124 | 44 |
| Oluseye Olympio | 27 | 154 | 29 |
| Ositadinma Onwuzulike | 18 | 127 | 10 |
| Chimezie Onwuzulike | 12 | 85 | 11 |
| Saheed Akolade | 31 | 98 | 48 |
| Emmanuel Okwudili | 20 | 351 | 0 |
| Leke Oyede | 10 | 84 | 5 |
| Former players | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Matches | Runs | Wickets |
| Sean Phillips | 13 | 386 | 14 |
| Wale Adeoye | 6 | 51 | 5 |
| Femi Oduyebo | 3 | 19 | 5 |
| Ayo Mene Ejegi | 4 | 25 | 4 |
| Ramit Gill | 13 | 203 | 8 |
| Oluwaseun Odeku | 7 | 55 | 3 |
| Varun Behani | 6 | 50 | 3 |
| Haruna Thomas | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Sesan Adedeji | 3 | 29 | 1 |
| Olalekan Awolowo | 7 | 104 | 5 |
| Joshua Ayannaike | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Temitope Olayinka | 4 | 12 | |
Highest Scores+
Dotun Olatunji – 127 vs Ghana at BCA Oval No. 1, Gaborone on 7 April 2013
Dotun Olatunji – 125* vs Botswana at BCA Oval No. 2, Gaborone on 9 April 2013
Olajide Bejide – 106 vs Tanzania at Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur on 13 March 2014
Segun Olayinka – 94* vs Argentina at Grainville, St Saviour on 28 July 2013
Endurance Ofem – 90 vs Cayman Islands at Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur on 9 March 2014
Best bowling figures
Oluseye Olympio – 6/23 vs Argentina at Grainville, St Saviour on 28 July 2013
Saeed Akolade – 6/27 vs Bahrain at Farmers CC, St Martin on 25 July 2013
Joshua Ogunlola – 5/28 vs Botswana at BCA Oval No. 2, Gaborone on 9 April 2013
Joshua Ogunlola – 5/34 vs Germany at BCA Oval No. 2, Gaborone on 12 April 2013
Olajide Bejide – 4/20 vs Kuwait at BCA Oval No. 1, Gaborone on 8 May 2011
Current squad
editThis lists all the players who have played for Nigeria in the past 12 months or has been part of the latest T20I squad. Updated as of 15 October 2023.
| Name | Age | Batting style | Bowling style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||
| Sesan Adedeji | 28 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Akhere Isesele | 23 | Right-handed | ||
| Isaac Danladi | 22 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Vice-captain |
| Daniel Ajekun | 27 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| All-rounder | ||||
| Isaac Okpe | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Wicket-keeper | ||||
| Sulaimon Runsewe | 23 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Spin Bowlers | ||||
| Ridwan Abdulkareem | 19 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Sylvester Okpe | 23 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Captain |
| Joshua Asia | 18 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | |
| Pace Bowlers | ||||
| Peter Aho | 21 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Chiemelie Udekwe | 19 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | |
| Prosper Useni | 18 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | |
| Mohameed Taiwo | 22 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium | |
Players
editThe following players have represented Nigeria internationally and also played first-class cricket:
- Henry Savory – played for Gloucestershire in 1937.[39]
- Richard Parkhouse – played for Glamorgan in 1939.[40]
- Geoffrey Anson – played for Cambridge University and Kent in 1947.[41]
- Robert Melsome – played for Gloucestershire between 1925 and 1934.[42]
- William Shirley – played for Hampshire and Cambridge University between 1922 and 1925.[6][43]
Coaching history
edit- 2009–2011: Clive Ogbimi
- 2011–2012:
Sean Phillips - 2012–2019: Clive Ogbimi
- 2020–2022:
Asanka Gurusinha - 2022: Clive Ogbimi (interim)
- 2022–present: Steve Tikolo
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ T20 World Cup Qualifier refers to the Regional Finals of the ICC Africa region from the 2021 & 23 edition.
References
edit- ^ "Team Nigeria set for the ICC T-20 World Cup Africa finals in Uganda". Nigeria Cricket. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "N.C.F unveils Steve Tikolo as the new Head Coach and High Performance Manager". www.nigeriacricket.com.ng. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
- ^ "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
- ^ "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ "T20I matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
- ^ a b c Nigeria at CricketArchive
- ^ "How Nigeria's cricket team 'shocked the world'". BBC News. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Nigeria's Cricket Milestone". All Africa. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Okigbo, Ijeoma. "Nigeria Invitational in Lagos points towards promising future for women's cricket in Africa". www.aipsmedia.com. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ Scorecard of Gold Coast v Nigeria, 22 March 1939 at Cricinfo
- ^ Scorecard of Nigeria v Gold Coast, 18 March 1947 at CricketArchive
- ^ Scorecard of Nigeria v Gold Coast, 6 April 1949
- ^ West Africa at CricketArchive
- ^ List of West Africa ICC Trophy matches Archived 16 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine at CricketArchive
- ^ Group list includes Nigeria, but final standings do not.
- ^ 2002 Africa Cup Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
- ^ a b c Africa qualifying Archived 24 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 2005 ICC Trophy official website
- ^ WCL Africa Division Two Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketArchive
- ^ a b WCL Africa Division Two Points Table at CricketArchive
- ^ a b 2008 Africa Division Three Championship Archived 24 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
- ^ 2007 North West Africa Championship Archived 12 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
- ^ North West Africa Championship Archived 11 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine at CricketEurope
- ^ "World Cricket League Division 7, 2011". www.cricketeurope4.net. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier Division 2 2011". www.cricketeurope4.net. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011.
- ^ "CSA launches expanded Africa T20 Cup". Cricket365. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "Ghana and Nigeria set to join Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South African domestic sides in expanded Africa T20 Cup". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- ^ "Ghana and Nigeria advance to Africa finals". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ^ "ICC board and full council concludes in London". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "Nigeria awarded men's T20 World Cup Qualifiers entry". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "Nigeria and Ghana begin World T20 qualifying campaign with victories". 15 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Records / Nigeria / Twenty20 Internationals / Result summary". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- ^ "Records / Nigeria / Twenty20 Internationals / Highest totals". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Records / Nigeria / Twenty20 Internationals / High scores". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Records / Nigeria / Twenty20 Internationals / Best bowling figures". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ "Records / Nigeria / Twenty20 Internationals / Most runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "Records / Nigeria / Twenty20 Internationals / Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ Henry Savory at CricketArchive
- ^ Richard Parkhouse at CricketArchive
- ^ Geoffrey Anson at CricketArchive
- ^ Robert Melsome at CricketArchive
- ^ William Shirley at CricketArchive