Steve Tikolo: Kenyan legend overseeing steady rise of Nigerian game

Not until recently, Nigeria giving Kenya a run for its money in men’s cricket was something unimaginable.

Thanks to leadership wrangles at Cricket Kenya (CK) in the last decade, the football-mad west African nation can today dare to dream of a win against Kenya, who boast five International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup appearances; four One Day International (ODI) - 1996, 1999, 2003, and 2011 and one T20 (2007).

Nigeria, nicknamed the ‘Yellow Greens’ has never competed in the ICC World Cup.

The game-changer in Nigeria’s cricket is the October 24, 2022 decision by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) to appoint Kenya’s cricket legend Steve Tikolo the national cricket men’s senior team coach and high-performance manager.

In history, Nigeria has beaten Kenya just once in a men’s cricket contest – a four-run victory via DSL method on September16, 2021 in a Uganda Tri-Nation Series tournament played at Entebbe Cricket Oval. 

Under Tikolo, who is one of the finest cricketers Kenya has ever produced, the ‘Yellow Greens’ came close to bagging their second victory over the fallen giants on November 23 last year.

In the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa qualifier match held at the United Ground in Windhoek in Namibia, Nigeria were on the brink of a historic win but Kenya’s stand-in captain Lucas Ndandason hit a four off the second last delivery to guide the former giants to a four-wicket win.

Batting after losing the toss, Nigeria set a target of 121 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs of their innings. Kenya hit 124 runs for the loss of six wickets in 19.5 of their innings. 

In the same tournament, Tanzania were not so lucky, as they lost by three wickets to Tikolo’s charges. Though Nigeria lost to Namibia, Zimbabwe and Uganda in the same competition, they impressed with their improved display. 

Having improved tremendously, the ‘Yellow Greens’, under the former Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania coach Tikolo, are on the path to renewing the former Kenyan international’s two-year contract before it lapses in October.

Contract talks are scheduled for mid this year, and Tikolo is open to carrying on with his duties in Nigeria. The former Kenya and Swamibapa Cricket Club captain has big dreams for Nigeria.

“I just want to see them (Nigeria) play good cricket,” the 52-year-old coach, who played for Kenya in the 1996, 1999 and 2003 editions of the ICC World Cup, told Nation Sport. 

“For every sportsperson, the ultimate goal is always to play in the World Cup. If Nigeria can play in the World Cup, that will be a massive achievement for me. The other (target with Nigeria) is to have them play test cricket,” adds the father of three, who remains Kenya’s top scorer in One Day Internationals with 3,428 runs.

The unwavering support he receives from the NCF, and commitment by his players in training have been crucial in Nigeria’s steady rise in cricket.

As a high-performance manager, Tikolo also oversees the development of Nigeria’s senior women’s side and both the male and female national junior teams, but with the help of their respective trainers. 

“Nigerians want their cricket to be seen on the world map and everybody is working towards that. Players are keen to learn and put in the hard work, which is something that drives me as a coach. I’m getting help from the board and other coaches,” the ICC Level III Coaching License holder says.

In his first step to change the fortunes of Africa’s populous nation on a cricket pitch, the former right-hand batsman changed the team’s training programme, “which I found inconsistent.”

Working with a team of 24 players, 16 of whom have been tied down to contracts by NCF, the coach says he holds intense training sessions four times a week.

During weekends, the national team players either face off or play for their respective clubs in the domestic leagues.

Lagos Cricket League is the main local cricket competition in Nigeria, but different states have their own leagues, though not very competitive.

“I changed the style of training and the techniques of the players because you don’t want a scenario where you call a team just before a tournament and practice for a few days,” he states adding: “If you want to consistently play well at the international level, your players need to be in constant training.”

The training sessions, the ex-Kenya international explains, are also attended by assistant coach, fitness trainer and physiotherapist, with each of them striving to deliver 100 percent in their respective roles.

In match training, the coaches follow a national team programme, while they have also developed individual training programmes for each player, based on their roles in the team.

“What you are seeing (improved performance by Nigeria) is a culmination of them (players) working throughout the year. Once you have the structures in place, things just fall in place,” offers Tikolo.

“If you are a batsman, you have your own programme on what to do based on your strengths and weaknesses. It is the same case with the bowlers. When it comes to fielding, we do it as one group,” he explains.

Power hitting, scoring more runs in the power play, bowling yorkers and slow balls, the experienced tactician says are some of the areas they continue to work on with the players, with a view to improve the team’s fortunes. The coaches also ensure that the players are always in the right state of mind. 

“The mental aspect is also very critical so we keep talking to them, encouraging them and explaining to them what an honour it is to play for your country. For me, the biggest thing is you must have a positive mind. When you have trained well, you walk into the field with confidence,” he says. 

Sealing a berth in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa qualifier by finishing second behind Tanzania in the sub-regional qualifier “B” in Rwanda in October 2022 and lifting the four-team West African Trophy in October last year with a 100 percent winning record in 10 matches, the experienced coach says are some of his other major achievements as Nigeria’s coach.

Rwanda, Ghana and Sierra Leone are the other teams that competed in the tournament in which teams faced off thrice before the final.

“Nigeria is an upcoming country, so the performance in the two ICC tournaments and the West African Trophy were pleasing. It shows we can compete against teams like Uganda, Kenya and Namibia," says the coach.

To speed up the rise of Nigeria’s cricket, Tikolo says that he has proposed to NFC to hire a data analyst “to give us real time information or discuss the opposition with the feedback we have received from the data analyst.” 

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