W’Cup qualifiers: Tikolo rates Nigeria’s opponents high

Nigeria’s senior men’s cricket team coach, Steve Tikolo, says the Yellow Greens will not underrate any of their five opponents in the Africa sub-region T20 World Cup qualifier to be hosted by the country from November 21 to 28 in Abuja, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nigeria was selected as one of the three countries to host the qualifiers earlier this year, with the first two already completed in Tanzania and Kenya.

Tikolo’s men have been training in Abuja ahead of the tournament, where they will battle Botswana, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Saint Helena for a place in the next round.

The Kenyan admits Nigeria is one of the teams to beat in the group but insists they will not leave anything to chance in the first phase of the qualifiers.

“Yes, you can say we are the team to beat together with Botswana. But being a T20 game, one cannot take any team lightly,” Tikolo told our correspondent.

“We’ve got to play our “A” game each time we walk out onto the pitch. Make sure we are clinical and win each match. For us, it’s not only about qualifying for the next round but winning the tournament and becoming champions. From there, we prepare for the next round.”

With 18 players in camp, the Yellow Greens have been out to three test games, with two more to come this weekend ahead of the final 14-man squad announcement next week.

The coach has a handful of players to pick from just as he welcomes the trio of Isaac Okpe, Isaac Danladi, and Chiemele Udekewe, who have been competing in the Zimbabwe Elite League.

The top two teams from each of the sub-regional qualifiers will go into the final phase, which will see two countries qualify to join South Africa as Africa’s representatives at the World Cup in 2026.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]