Nigeria’s men’s and women’s national cricket teams have retained their spots in the latest annual rankings released by the International Cricket Council on Tuesday, having met the required number of matches during the period under review.
The annual update, which gives 100 per cent weighting to matches played since May 2025 and 50 per cent to those from the previous two years, saw India’s lead over England trimmed from 14 to 13 points in the men’s table, while Australia’s advantage over England in the women’s rankings reduced from 18 to 12 points.
For Nigeria, the men’s team dropped two places from 36th to 38th, while the women’s team retained 26th position globally.
After competing in the sub-regional and regional T20 World Cup qualifiers, the West Africa Trophy and a seven match bilateral series against Kenya, the men’s team known as the Yellow Greens accumulated 78 rating points, just one below their previous total of 79.
The women’s team also featured in the T20 World Cup qualifiers and the Kwibuka Invitational Tournament last year before winning the fifth Nigeria Cricket Federation Invitational tournament this year, maintaining their 26th-place ranking with an improved 79 points from their previous total of 76, a position they have held since their rapid rise in 2023.
In both categories, Nigeria are ranked seventh in Africa.
South Africa lead the continent in the men’s rankings, followed by Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, with Nigeria in seventh. In the women’s rankings, South Africa and Zimbabwe also occupy the top two spots, while Uganda rank ahead of Namibia, and Tanzania and Rwanda sit just above Nigeria.