Nigeria Content Online

After
achieving promotion to World Cricket League Division 6 from Division 7
last week in Botswana, the national cricket team are back in South
Africa preparing for another assault on promotion.

The ICC Africa T-20
Division 2 tournament will bat off in Johannesburg on Saturday, 14 May
2011. Nigeria came second behind Kuwait in the just concluded Division
7 tournament that took place in Gaborone. The Nigerian lost two matches
and they were both to Kuwait. The player cum coach of the team, Sean
Philips said afterwards that Nigeria has an array of talented cricket
players and he was not surprised at the good performance and subsequent
promotion.

Philips said: “I
think when the players first arrived in South Africa for our training
camp ahead of this tournament they didn’t really have the ambition but
with the pre-tournament games these guys got some belief and that’s
what we bought to the tournament.

“We lost two games
this tournament – both to Kuwait – but the rest of their games the guys
really stood up and wanted to go to Malaysia. We achieved the goal we
set and I’m very proud of them.”

New challenge

After that comes
the challenge of qualifying for Division 1 in South Africa and that
challenge begins on Saturday with a match against Mozambique.

But Philips said
the team will continue to improve as the players want to make the
country proud. “I am pleased that we are creating such a vibe in
Nigeria about our performances. It really inspires the team to doing
well.

“The sudden
improvement is due to this squad working extremely hard to achieve
their goals. I am sure everyone agrees that there is exceptional talent
in Nigeria.

My job is to use the mind to access that talent. That is why we are improving”, he concluded.

The top two
qualifiers from this tournament will proceed to the ICC – Africa T20
division one tournament which is scheduled to be held in Entebbe,
Uganda. This division one tournament will take place in mid July 2011.

Teams that will be battling for promotion with Nigeria are Tanzania,
Botswana, Ghana,Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Malawi and Rwanda.