By Ijeoma Okigbo

Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) has reiterated its support for the development of cricket in the country.

It lauded the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for its “governance structure and fruitful partnership” for the past six years.

Tolu Adeleke, PwC Representative, said this at a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the sixth Pwc/NCF U17 National Cricket Championship in Abuja.

Adeleke appreciated the efforts of the federation, noting that the partnership between the duo has been rewarding.

“We need to appreciate the NCF. Our partnership with the federation has been rewarding.

“It speaks to the fact that the federation is properly structured with clearly articulated laid down plans and that is why the relationship has been seamless.

“ The partnership has blossomed and the reward is seeing the talents discovered from the competition able to represent the country internationally.

“It is worthy to note that most of the players that represented Nigeria at the U19 World Cup in January were discovered from this tournament.

“We are pleased with the progress and rewards this tournament brought to the growth of the game in the country and we will continue to support it.

“ This competition doesn’t just help kids improve their game but also builds values of friendship, team work and more, aligning with the values of PwC,” Adeleke said.

On his part, Sani Muhammed, the NCF Secretary-General, highlighted PwC’s role in unearthing cricket talents in Nigeria.

“ On the part of the National Sports Commission (NSC), they commend organisations like PwC for consistently nurturing talent through this grassroots programs such as this.

“ If you look at previous records, many players of the male and female national teams have come from the PwC programme.

“As Tolu mentioned, all the players who represented Nigeria at the T20 World Cup in Malaysia were part of the PwC event.

“The government prioritises the development of this sport and will continue to provide enabling environment to elevate the game,” Muhammed saod.

Meanwhile Joseph Eshua, the NCF Technical Director, said that the tournament will serve as an avenue to select 50 male and 50 female players to be camped for the Under-19 national team.

The sixth edition of the PwC/NCF tournament begins on Thursday and will end on Sunday in Abuja. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh