The coach of Nigeria’s junior cricket national team, Daniel Gim has reeled out several advantages he believes the country will get from hosting this year’s ICC U19 T20 World Cup qualifiers.
Heading towards the 2026 International Cricket Committee (ICC) global championship that is scheduled to hold in Zimbabwe and Namibia, Nigeria will from this Friday host the African qualifiers that will involve Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Tanzania and Sierra Leone.
As the qualifiers loom large from March 26th to April 6th at Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval and University of Lagos sports centre, respectively, Gim revealed that the benefits of hosting the ICC event are numerous.
He cited infrastructure development, global focus, tourist attractions and the national team being at home for all the matches as some major advantages of having the tournament staged in Lagos.
Gim also disclosed,
“With regards to preparations and readiness to host the qualification tournament as a country, I think the Nigeria Cricket Federation are doing their possible best. They are upgrading facilities and making sure that everything is in good shape before the tournament commences.
“I feel we are in a very good position in terms of the provision of facilities to host and also our formation of a strong team as well. Thankfully, the team is already in good spirit going into the tournament.”
The ambitious cricket tactician then turned his attention on what his team stands to gain from participating in the competition and what it means to Nigeria as a nation.
“For us to be hosting this tournament is a very good development. The importance of this tournament is that it is a World Cup’s qualifier division one, and we will have it in our own home. So, it’s more like an advantage for us because this is our home soil.
“We know the home ground. We know how the wickets work, and we are used to everything about the venue. So, it’s a plus for us, and I believe we are one step ahead of the other teams because we are hosting this tournament.
“It is also a very good development for the Nigerian Cricket Federation having to host this important tournament from the ICC,” Gim reasoned enthusiastically.
