ICC Cricket

Starting on November 1, England will play a series of one-off floodlit matches over a five-year period against the Stanford Super Stars, a Caribbean select side, at Stanford’s own ground in Antigua.”I see the Stanford Twenty20 as a fantastic opportunity for current players in the Stanford Twenty20 tournament to take a giant leap into the spotlight and gain exposure to top class opposition,” Stanford, speaking at a news conference at Lord’s here Wednesday, said.

Twelve million dollars will go to the players in the winning squad with one million dollars to be split among the winning management team.The remaining seven million dollars will be divided between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

Stanford arrived at Lord’s in his own private helicopter which touched down on the Nursery Ground, where he was met by a delegation, including West Indies greats Sir Garfield Sobers and Vivian Richards.He said November 1 had been chosen as the date for the match as it marked the 27th anniversary of Antigua and Barbuda’s independence from Great Britain.

Stanford added he hoped the matches would act as a catalyst for the revival of West Indies cricket, which has slipped from the heights achieved when Richards was a member of the all-conquering team of the 1970s and 1980s.”I’m investing in cricket’s future in the West Indies. We’re at the bottom of a trough, but cricket is the glue and fabric which binds us all together.