Leke Oyede, head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s cricket team, has trimmed the squad for the upcoming 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in Namibia, releasing four players from the preliminary 22-woman list. The decision follows the conclusion of a 14-day open training camp held in Benin City, Edo State.
The players omitted from the squad include Deborah Bassey — the wicketkeeper who represented Nigeria’s U-19 side at the World Cup in Malaysia earlier this year — along with Habibat Oremeyi, Ayomide Abdulrasaq, and Rukayat Abdulrasaq.
With the reduction, 18 players will now proceed to a closed camp in Lagos, beginning Saturday, July 26. A final squad of 15 players will be announced thereafter.
Nigeria is set to compete against Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, and two qualifiers from Division 2 at the Africa Qualifiers scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 7.
Division 2 matches, currently underway in Botswana, will conclude on Saturday, July 26. The two top-performing teams will earn promotion to Division 1. From there, the leading two sides at the Africa Qualifiers will progress to the global qualifiers slated for later this year.
The 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be hosted in England.
