BY ADEYEMI ROBINSON-ADEFIOYE LAGOS
The Board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation has hosted Nigeria Under 19 Cricket Team players to a welcome reception in Lagos, where they also hinted that some of the gains of the maiden World Cup appearance that included strategic partnerships with top Cricketing nations at the event.
UYI AKPATA, the Vice president of the Federation said that the World Cup appearance had helped the country to forge developmental partnerships with some of the best Cricket developing nations in the world which he notes will boost the NCF’s grassroots agenda soon.
“The Under 19 World Cup in South Africa is very fruitful for us and we are judging our achievement thereby the useful partnerships we have formed with other top nations who see value in us and potentials in the players we paraded, among other positives,” UYI said.
He hinted that both West Indies and Australia who were Nigeria’s group members at the World Cup fixtures in Kimberley South Africa had offered some assistance to the Federation in the deployment of its grassroots program.
AKPATA said the board of the Federation was proud of the feat achieved by the teenagers, saying all the matches played counted in the development plan of the team.
“We went to the world cup with a strategic agenda and it is wrapped around building the core of Nigeria’s future teams both senior and next Under 17 teams from the World Cup and it worked well for us” he added.
President of the Federation, PROFESSOR YAHAYA UKWENYA had said that the new senior national team that would feature in the forthcoming Africa Cricket Association T-20 Championship in Nairobi (Kenya) in March would have of the teenagers as members.
ENESI DAHIRU, the Federation’s Technical Director affirmed the Federation’s position by saying that the National Team is expected to open camp soon ahead of the ACA meet and six members of the U19 players have been identified to take up some strategic place in the national team.
“We are very cautious and every of our plan were deliberate in seeing that all our activities were integrated into the developmental plan. Ultimately we want to build a new, more focused national team and maintain a clear conduit that would continually churn out talents year after year for every level of play”.
SYLVESTER OKPE, captain of the U19 team said it was a privilege to serve the country at this level and he sees a bright future for the country.
Nigeria lost her first five matches at the World Cup to Australia, West Indies, England, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates before nicking her only win against Japan to place 15 out of the 16 at the event.
The World Cup was Nigeria’s first global outing since 105 years history of the game in the country.
