The Nigeria senior men’s Cricket team, the Yellow Greens, are expected to play ten T-20 friendly matches during their tour in Zimbabwe ahead of their participation in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Africa Division 1 qualifier taking place in Uganda from May 15-23, 2019.
The Yellow Greens who left the country on Saturday will be playing against various club sides and franchise teams in a preparatory tour organized by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) in partnership with their counterparts from Zimbabwe.
The U19 men’s team did a similar tour prior to being the first Nigerian team to qualify for the U19 ICC World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa next year. It is believed that a similar experience would benefit the senior team ahead of their own qualifiers in Uganda.
The Nigeria team who secured a place at the tournament after hosting and winning the ICC T-20 Africa Qualifier A’ Division 2, will be representing West Africa alongside Ghana.
The team led by Ademola Onikoyi is a fusion of experienced players and some of the victorious U19 players.
Among such youngsters are captain of the U19 side, Sylvester Okpe, Abolarin Rasheed, Daniel Ajekun and Taiwo Mohammed.
Experienced campaigner Leke Oyede earns a recall following a short spell on the sidelines, while bowling sensation, Isaac Okpe also makes the cut.
Botswana and Namibia will represent the Southern Africa Region which Kenya and Uganda will fly East Africa’s flag.
The tournament will see all countries play each other with the top two teams facing off in the finals.
