Stanford ups the stakes to US$ 5m

Stanford offers Twenty/20 champs big cash to meet regional super stars

Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford has put a US$5-million offer on the table to Twenty/20 World Cup champions India, to play his Stanford Super Star team next year.{{more}}

Sir Allen, the financier behind the Stanford Twenty/20 tournament in Antigua, put forward the proposal prior to India’s five-run win over Pakistan in the Twenty/20 World Cup final at the New Wanderers Stadium yesterday.

“Since this is the first Twenty/20 World Championships, and that is the format of our tournament, we felt it was fitting to have this team come and play our Super Star Team next year,” explained Sir Allen.

“It will be the perfect culmination of our 2008 Stanford Twenty/20 Programme.”

Sir Allen extended the invitation while here for the Twenty/20 World Cup, along with West Indies Cricket Board president, Julian Hunte and nine members of the Stanford Twenty/20 board.

The winner-take-all match has been scheduled for June 29 at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua. The Super Star team will be chosen from the players participating in the Stanford Twenty/20 regional tournament, scheduled for January 25th to February 24th next year.

A similar proposal involving South Africa had been put forward last year following the end of the inaugural Stanford Twenty/20 tournament, but it failed to materialise because of scheduling problems.

Hunte, who recently took over the helm of regional cricket, said he was pleased to be partnering with the Stanford project to ensure the revival of West Indies cricket.

“I am extremely pleased to be working along with the Stanford Twenty/20 board in their initiatives to bring back West Indies Cricket to its former glory days, and I think that this added international component will go a long way to this goal,” Hunte said.

“In our meetings in South Africa, and previously, the one thing that stands out above all is that these gentlemen truly love West Indies cricket, and will do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.”(CMC)