Coaching cricket in Nigeria

A South African, Sean Phillips (28), is working at reviving cricket in Nigeria. The Nigerian Cricket Federation employed Sean, a former Boland player and coach at Paul Roos Gimnasium in Stellenbosch. Sean started playing cricket at John Ross College in Richard's Bay. He later did a coaching course at the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Academy. Sean is now based at Tafawa Balewa Square, in Lagos. It was at this square that Nigeria played its first international in 1904, against the Gold Coast (now Ghana). Nigeria joined the International Cricket Board in 2002 but is not ranked. A wealthy Nigerian businessman offered to pay Sean's salary and Sean left for Lagos in June 2007, with his wife Lindsay. He has already helped the Ibeju-Lekki Cricket Club to second place in the league. A cricket academy is planned for Nigeria.