Bangladesh rarely have much to celebrate in one-day cricket

They have only five wins in 95 limited-overs contests, and only two of those have been against top-flight teams.

Bangladesh Cricket Board official Khondokar Jamiluddin explained the thinking behind the decision.

He said: "We haven't made good progress in one-day cricket and the pressure of scoring fast in the new tournament will help us find some hard-hitters."

Twelve teams will participate in the tournament starting on 15 October.

The format will mirror the Twenty20 Cup in England, which has been a massive success as cricket fans flock to see run-filled contests in the long mid-summer evenings.

South African cricket was swift to adopt Twenty20, and the game has even be trialled internationally, when England's women played their New Zealand counterparts in an exhibition match at Hove earlier this year.