Namibian captain, Francois Du Plessis (L) and Nigeria’s captain, Gafar Kareem.
Akanimo Kufre
Gafar Kareem, Nigeria’s U19 Cricket team captain, will lead his squad against the best ranked team, Namibia, in the six-nation qualification tournament in Lagos by 9:30 am on Friday March 28.
Captain Gafar Kareem had promised to surpass the record of his senior brother, Ridwan Kareem, former captain of Nigeria’s U19 Men’s team.
The senior Kareem led Nigeria from Division 2 to Division 1 but could not grab the sole ticket for Africa in 2022.
At the opening game on Tafawa Belewa Square, (TBS) Cricket Oval, Lagos, the junior Kareem will stick to his basic cricket discipline against Faf Du Plessis squad from Namibia.
Captain Du Plessis on Thursday said his team would want to avoid pressure by playing the “best cricket.”
The tournament’s second venue is at the University of Lagos Cricket Oval, Akoka Campus, where Kenya takes on Sierra Leone by 9:30 am.
The Lagos Cricket series marks the final leg of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, Africa Qualifiers, to decide who represents Africa from associate member countries.