Cricket: Runsewe leads Nigeria to West Africa Trophy

Wicketkeeper Sulaimon Runsewe will assume the leadership position of Nigeria’s male senior cricket team, the Yellow Greens, when they begin their title defence at the West Africa Trophy in Abuja on Thursday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Head coach and high-performance manager of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Steve Tikolo, named his 14-man squad, with captain Sylvester Okpe allowing Runsewe to take the lead, just as the Kenyan coach included a few new faces as well.

Joining Runsewe for what promises to be a highly competitive regional showdown are players like Selim Salau, Ali Rahmon, Daniel Ajekun and Danladi Isaac.

Also included are the Okpe brothers — Sylvester and Isaac Okpe — both of whom bring proven international experience to the squad, giving Nigeria balance in both batting and bowling departments.

The squad is rounded out by players like Vincent Adewoye, Kenneth Boniface, Prosper Useni, Ukasha Ishaku, Elochukwu Ndubudem, Joshua Asia and Abdullahi Ismail — a mixture of youth and experience aimed at giving the team breadth and depth.

Guinness World Record holder for the fastest bowling figures, Peter Aho, is missing due to his involvement with the Dubai Capitals for ILT20 Season 4 in Qatar.

The Yellow Greens won the first edition with an unbeaten record, sealing a pulsating 18-run victory over a resilient Rwanda in the final at the Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos in October 2023. Sierra Leone and Ghana also competed at the inaugural event.

Rwanda and Sierra Leone return for the 2025 edition, while Zambia — who will face Nigeria in the opener — replace Ghana.

Nigeria will begin their campaign against Zambia on Thursday in what is expected to be a keenly contested opener.

After their opening fixture against Zambia, the Yellow Greens will face Sierra Leone on Friday, December 5, and Rwanda the following day.

The four participating countries will meet three times each in a round-robin format before the top two teams advance to the final.