Kenya prepare for their big moment

Kenyan cricket is looking towards the future as Nairobi prepares to host the World Cricket League, which starts on Monday featuring the top six associate countries.

Samir Inamdar, the Cricket Kenya chairman, says the tournament is a major stepping stone for cricket in the country. "Kenya has a long and proud history of cricket and it is determined to put on a great tournament," he said. "We have the facilities, we have the expertise and we have the manpower. This is an enormous opportunity to announce to the world that we are ready to host an event like this again.

"By running a good tournament we will showcase Kenyan cricket and put it back in the news for all the right reasons. Cricket in Kenya has gone through a period of transition in recent years but we are very optimistic for the future of the game here and part of the development process for us is being able to host events like this.

"We are moving forward here at Cricket Kenya and this tournament is very much part of that process."

The ICC president, Percy Sonn, added: "There is now an exciting structure of competitive cricket outside the 10 Full Members that gives a real edge to the level of competition being played at that level. In many ways, the World Cricket League is what the ICC is all about."

The big prize at the end of the tournament for Kenya is a place in the Twenty20 Championships to be held in South Africa during September. There are two spots up for grabs, for the two leading teams from WCL, and a huge financial boost as well.