Nigeria national cricket team
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| Nigeria | |
 |
|
| ICC membership granted | 2002 |
| ICC member status | Associate member |
| ICC development region | Africa |
| Captain | Unknown |
| World Cricket League division | n/a |
| World Cricket League Africa Region division | Two |
| First recorded match | 1904 v Ghana (then Gold Coast) |
| As of 6 April 2008 | |
The Nigeria national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Nigeria in international cricket matches. Cricket has been played in the country since the late 19th century, and the national team played their first match in 1904.[1] The Nigeria Cricket Association has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 2002.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Early years
Cricket has been played in Nigeria since the late 19th century when the game was introduced by the British. Contacts between the administration in Lagos and their counterparts in Gold Coast (now Ghana) led to an international in 1904, the Gold Coast winning by 22 runs.[1]
The match became an annual fixture and for the first three matches was multi-racial. The fourth fixture in December 1906 was for Europeans only, and the African population started their own annual fixture in 1907. Internationals stopped for the First World War, and did not restart until the mid-1920s.[1]
Between the two world wars, cricket began to become more formally organised in the country with two cricket associations for the Europeans and Africans being formed in 1932 and 1933 respectively. First-class cricketers from England began to appear in the annual matches against Gold Coast[1], and the 1939 match, the last before World War II ended in a 58 run win for Gold Coast.[3]
Matches resumed after the war with a five day match in Lagos in 1947 which ended in a draw.[4] The 1949 match went the way of the Gold Coast.[5] As the number of Europeans working in the country reduced, the quality of the African players increased and cricket began to be organised on multi-racial lines in 1956.[1]
[edit] Post independence
Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, there was much interest in cricket. Annual matches against Sierra Leone and The Gambia began in 1964, and were evenly contested until the late 1970s, when football began to become more popular in the country. Cricket began a process of decline, and when Tanzania toured in 1974, Nigeria lost two of the three matches and drew the other. They also lost heavily to the MCC in 1976. Internal problems with both the Nigeria Cricket Association and in Nigeria itself led to a decline in standards, though Nigeria formed a majority of the players on the West Africa cricket team[1] that became an ICC associate member in 1976.[6]
The West Africa team took part in the ICC Trophy tournaments of 1982 and 1997 before withdrawing from the 2001 tournament in Ontario.[7] Nigeria still continued to play on their own on occasion,[1] though they sometimes withdrew from tournaments, as at the 1998 Africa Cricket Association Championship.[8] The West African Cricket Conference ceased to exist in 2002,[1] and Nigeria became an associate member of the ICC in their own right the same year.[2]
[edit] ICC Membership
Nigeria's first tournament after becoming an ICC member on their own was the 2002 Africa Cup in Zambia. Nigeria finished fourth in their group after their only win of the tournament against Malawi.[9] They finished 5th in the Africa Cricket Association Championships in 2004, their only win coming against last placed Tanzania, thus failing to qualify for the 2005 ICC Trophy.[10]
In August 2006, Nigeria took part in Division Two of the World Cricket League Africa Region in Tanzania,[11] finishing last.[12] This originally relegated them to Division Three,[1] though they are not playing in that tournament in 2008.[13]
[edit] The future
Nigeria are currently hosting the North West Africa Championship in Lagos.[14] They are set to play in Division Two of the World Cricket League Africa Region later in the year.[13]
[edit] Tournament History
[edit] World Cup
- 1975: Not eligible - Not an ICC member
- 1979 to 2003: See West African cricket team
- 2007: Did not qualify
[edit] ICC Trophy
- 1979 to 2001: See West African cricket team
- 2005: Did not qualify
[edit] ICC World Cricket League Africa Region
- 2006: 5th place (Division Two)
[edit] Records
- Highest team total: 397/7 declared v Gold Coast, 1932.[1]
- Highest individual score: 166 by E Henshaw v Ghana, 1982 and by B Olufawo v Ghana, 2001.[1]
- Best bowling: 7/65 by WS King v Gold Coast, 1952.[1]
[edit] Players
The following players have represented Nigeria internationally and also played first-class cricket:
- Henry Savory - played for Gloucestershire in 1937.[15]
- Richard Parkhouse - played for Glamorgan in 1939.[16]
- Geoffrey Anson - played for Cambridge University and Kent in 1947.[17]
- Robert Melsome - played for Gloucestershire between 1925 and 1934.[18]
- William Shirley - played for Hampshire and Cambridge University between 1922 and 1925.[19][1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Encylcopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
- ^ a b Nigeria at CricketArchive
- ^ Scorecard of Gold Coast v Nigeria, 22 March 1939 at Cricinfo
- ^ Scorecard of Nigeria v Gold Coast, 18 March 1947 at CricketArchive
- ^ Scorecard of Nigeria v Gold Coast, 6 April 1949
- ^ West Africa at CricketArchive
- ^ List of West Africa ICC Trophy matches at CricketArchive
- ^ Group list includes Nigeria, but final standings do not.
- ^ 2002 Africa Cup at CricketEurope
- ^ Africa qualifying, 2005 ICC Trophy Official Website
- ^ WCL Africa Division Two at CricketArchive
- ^ WCL Africa Division Two Points Table at CricketArchive
- ^ a b 2008 Africa Division Three Championship at CricketEurope
- ^ 2008 North West Africa Championship at CricketEurope
- ^ Henry Savory at CricketArchive
- ^ Richard Parkhouse at CricketArchive
- ^ Geoffrey Anson at CricketArchive
- ^ Robert Melsome at CricketArchive
- ^ William Shirley at CricketArchive
