Leke Oyede, the head coach of the Female Yellow Greens team, has announced that they will commence a closed-camping session in the initial week of May in preparation for the upcoming 2024 Kwibuka cricket tournament in Rwanda, as reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
The tournament, set to take place from May 27 to June 8 at the Gahanga International Cricket Stadium in Kigali, will feature Nigeria as the host nation alongside Rwanda and six other confirmed participants.
Following their bronze medal win at the 2023 African Games in Ghana last month, the team is currently on individual training schedules and will resume full training for the tournament in May, according to Oyede.
Speaking to PUNCH Sports Extra, Oyede mentioned, “Our plan is to start training in the first week of May. They are currently following the training plans we provided, and we usually follow this routine post each tournament.”
“Our approach involves assessing the players before each new tournament and ensuring they are in top form before they join the camp,” added Oyede.
The 10th edition of Kwibuka has expanded from a four-nation tournament, with eight teams already confirmed for this year’s event. Tanzania, Namibia, USA, and Japan are expected to confirm their participation soon, expanding the tournament further.
Oyede believes that the enlarged tournament will offer the players greater exposure.
“Having eight confirmed teams already guarantees increased exposure for our players, with potential for more countries to join. This provides us with the opportunity to test our players’ skills against teams we have not faced before,” expressed Oyede.
Among the teams confirmed for the competition are Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, and Cameroon.
This will mark the fifth appearance of the Female Yellow Greens at the tournament, where they secured a fourth-place finish last year following a loss to Kenya in the third-place playoff.
After their remarkable performance at the African Games, where they surprised Namibia and Uganda to clinch bronze in Ghana, the Nigerian team is poised to make an impact in Rwanda this May, making other African nations wary of their potential.
Last year, Rwanda caused an upset by defeating Uganda by six wickets in the final to secure their first title in nine years. This victory marked Rwanda’s first win against Uganda and their maiden triumph in the Kwibuka tournament, which is an annual event held to memorialize the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda.