Cricket: Nigeria face Kenya in bilateral series

Nigeria’s male senior cricket team, the Yellow Greens, are in Kenya to take on the Simbas in a seven-day bilateral series from Friday, July 12 till July 20, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The series will be played in the T20 and ODI formats with five games in the former and two games in the latter.

The Nigeria Cricket Federation on Wednesday released a 15-man squad for the series with captain Sylvester Okpe being joined by the trio Isaac Okpe, Isaac Danladi and Emmanuel Udekwe who are currently engaged in the Zimbabwe National Premier League.

Others include Peter Aho who once held the Guinness World Record for the fastest bowling figures, wicket keeper Sulaimon Runsewe, Elijah Olaleye, Daniel Ajeku, Abdulmumuni Mohammed, Prosper Useni, Joshua Asia and Vincent Adewoye.

Three other players, Selim Salau, who is also a wicket keeper, Ifeanyi Uboh, and Miracle Akhigbe were also handed fresh call-ups into the squad.

“This series promises to showcase Nigeria’s cricket team’s skills and competitive spirit as they face off against their Kenyan counterparts,” the NCF said in a statement on Wednesday.

“These fast-paced T20 games will showcase the skills and agility of both teams. Expect thrilling moments, big hits, and tight finishes and the two One Day Internationals (ODIs) will provide a different dynamic, with longer innings and strategic play.”

Nigeria’s head coach and high-performance manager, Steve Tikolo, a former Kenyan player as well as his backroom staff will hope to leverage the series to strengthen the team for subsequent competitive matches.

The Kenya/Nigeria bilateral series is the first major assignment of the Yellow Greens since they featured at the 2023 African Games earlier this year.