Top W Africa teams begin WC qualifiers in Lagos

LAGOS: The Tafawa Balewa Cricket Oval in Lagos, Nigeria, is a world away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground and other leading venues in the sport.

But in theory at least, one could lead to the other, as top teams from West Africa gathered this week to begin qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years’ time.Realistically though, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia have little chance of progressing through the further stages to make it to the finals.

Yet those watching in Lagos believe such tournaments will help the sport take off in Nigeria and the wider region, both of which are known for their fanatical following of football.Under the shade of a tree beyond the mid-wicket boundary, Ewa Henshaw watched hosts Nigeria take on Ghana in searing heat approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The former Nigeria and West Africa captain said local cricket was undergoing a resurgence. “We used to play regularly before there was a downturn. Now it looks like everything is coming alive again,” he told AFP.

Like many other former British colonies, Nigeria — Africa’s most populous nation with more than 180 million people — has had a long association with cricket.

In 1904, the first “inter-colonial” match was played at the Lagos Racecourse Cricket Ground — later renamed after the first post-independence prime minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The ground has since played host to matches between Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania, quadrangular tournaments and even visiting sides from the Marylebone Cricket Club from the 1970s.

On the pitch on Tuesday, Nigeria, in their green and yellow uniforms, struggled to 119 for eight off 20 overs, in front of a few hundred spectators and gyrating cheerleaders.Children in sponsors’ caps and t-shirts looked on while a group of young men cheered increasingly loudly at the Pavilion End as the innings progressed.

Ghana’s top order batsmen in black, red and gold began by making short work of the low score. But in the end Nigeria made Ghana toil for their victory with tight bowling in the final overs and the visitors secured a seven-wicket win with only one ball to spare. Like many teams in the lower reaches of any sport, West Africa’s cricketers are not full-time but still have lofty ambitions.