Head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s cricket team, Leke Oyede, has trimmed his squad to 18 players following a 14-day open camp in Benin City, Edo State, ahead of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in Namibia.

Among those dropped from the initial 22-player list are U-19 World Cup wicketkeeper Deborah Bassey, along with Habibat Oremeyi, Ayomide Abdulrasaq, and Rukayat Abdulrasaq.

The remaining 18 players are expected to report for a closed camp in Lagos on Saturday, July 26, as preparations intensify. From this group, the final 15-player squad for the qualifiers will be selected.

Nigeria is set to face stiff competition against Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and the host Namibia, and two additional teams from Division 2 from August 28 to September 7.

The ongoing Division 2 qualifiers in Botswana are scheduled to conclude on Saturday, July 26, with the top two teams earning promotion to Division 1 and joining the race for World Cup qualification.

Only the top two teams from the Africa Qualifiers will advance to the global qualifiers later this year, as countries battle for a place at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England.