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Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammed Ashraful said on Friday he hoped a four-nation tournament in Kenya would offer much-needed match exposure ahead of the Twenty20 World championships in South Africa.

The tournament, which kicks off on Saturday (today) and will also feature Pakistan and Uganda, has been granted official status by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Bangladeshis, who have only played Twenty20 rules cricket once before in their history, take on Kenya on Saturday (today) while Pakistan meet Uganda.

Ashraful said the current team of 15 players including four new caps was selected to suit the 20-over format.

“It is good for us to play in this tournament since we expect the Kenyan conditions to be the same as in South Africa,” said Ashraful, a member of the team that beat Kenya 3-0 in a 50-over cricket series in August 2006.

“We have not played many Twenty20 matches and this tournament will help gauge the playing abilities of the players,” he added.

Bangladesh are drawn against hosts South Africa and the West Indies in Group A of the inaugural World championships, which start in South Africa on September 11.

Source:Cricket News