Nigeria’s Yellow Greens will face Ghana on Monday as the maiden Nigeria Cricket Federation Quadrangular T20 Tournament gets underway at the Tafawa Balewa Square Cricket Oval in Lagos.
The opening fixture is scheduled for 10am, with hosts Nigeria B taking on Ghana before Nigeria A face Sierra Leone in the second game of the day.
The new tournament was introduced by the Nigeria Cricket Federation as part of efforts to strengthen the domestic and international cricket calendar while providing the national team with valuable competitive preparation.
The inaugural competition features three countries and four teams, with Nigeria entering two sides to increase the number of matches and provide more players with international-level exposure.
Nigeria head into the opening clash with a strong record against Ghana, having won all five of their previous meetings since 2019, according to statistics from ESPNcricinfo.
Three of those encounters were played in Lagos, while the other two took place in Kampala and Rwanda.
The Yellow Greens are expected to use the tournament as part of their preparations for upcoming international assignments, particularly the 2028 T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional C Qualifier scheduled for Abuja from October 18 to 25.
Nigeria have been working under new high-performance manager Stephen Mangongo, who was appointed in May after signing a three-year contract with the Nigeria Cricket Federation.
The Zimbabwean succeeded Kenyan coach Steve Tikolo, who left the position earlier this year after more than three years in charge of the national team.
The Lagos tournament represents Mangongo’s second assignment with Nigeria following the Namibia Tri-Series in June, giving the coach another opportunity to assess his players ahead of the next phase of international competition.
The four participating teams will face one another twice in a round-robin format, with the tournament winner to be determined next Sunday.
With Nigeria fielding two teams, the competition is also expected to provide an opportunity for the coaching staff to assess the depth of the squad while giving emerging players valuable experience.
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