Glamorgan's players have been told to target the Twenty20 Cup competition.

The newly-created �2.5m Twenty20 Champions League tournament has sharpened the focus of counties towards the 20-over format of the game.

Glamorgan start their Twenty20 campaign against Warwickshire on Wednesday, and have South Africa star batsman Herschelle Gibbs for the campaign.

Glamorgan chief executive Mike Fatkin said: "I make no apologies that we want our team to target the Twenty20 Cup."

The Welsh county are struggling near the foot of County Championship division two and finished bottom of their Friends Provident pool.

So the highly-anticipated Twenty20 Cup tournament is their only realistic shot at success this season.

GLAM'S TWENTY20 POOL Wed 11: v Warwickshire (h) Fri 13: v Somerset (h) Sun 15: v Worcestershire (h) Tue 17: v Somerset (a) Wed 18: v Gloucestershire (h) Fri 20: v Northants (h) Sun 22: v Northants (a) Tue 24: v Gloucestershire (a) Thu 26: v Warwickshire (a) Fri 27: v Worcestershire (a)

But the big bucks available to the two English counties that qualify for the Twenty20 Champions League to play the best from India, Australia and South Africa has made glory much more appealing.

"The big purse has sharpened a lot of attention," Fatkin told BBC Sport.

"The arrival of Herschelle Gibbs for the Twenty20 games now looks like an even better decision by us.

"As if Herschelle could quickly start firing and give us a few big early wins, it could make a big difference to us."

Such rewards are unprecedented in English cricket, where most counties make a loss and rely on funding from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The tournament will be in India or the Middle East starting in late September.

English cricket will be represented by the two finalists from the ECB Twenty20 Cup, which takes place on 26 July.

They will line up against India's Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, Western Australia and Victoria, and the Titans and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins from South Africa.

Glamorgan's cricket manager Matthew Maynard is guiding his inexperienced side through a transitional period.

606: DEBATE Have strugglers Glamorgan got a hope in the Twenty20 Cup

But that time in limbo would decrease if the Daffodil county achieve a Twenty20 miracle and earn themselves a Champions League pot of gold.

"We are delighted there is something on the Twenty20 Cup," said Fatkin.

"It'll make the tournament much more interesting.

"The first couple of Twenty20 campaigns was a very hit and giggle.

"But in the last few years the tactics of the short game have become much more sophisticated.

"The increased purse will now surely increase the desire of teams to succeed in Twenty20 Cup."