July 10, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1428

NEW DELHI, July 9: National cricket boards have ‘genuine concerns’ over a $20 million winner-takes-all Twenty20 series planned for West Indies next year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

The event is the brainchild of the Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, who is hoping to draw world champions Australia, Sri Lanka, India and South Africa to the inaugural week-long series proposed for June 2008.

The ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said in a statement its Board discussed the idea at its recent meeting in London.

“Our members have raised genuine concerns about the concept and have asked the ICC to act as an intermediary and help manage discussions between Mr Stanford and the potential host of the matches, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

The event would feature a knockout event with the winners facing the Stanford Super Stars, an all-West Indies XI comprising the best players from the inter-island Stanford 20/20 tournament, due to be staged in Antigua early next year.

Stanford said last week some issues still needed to be sorted out over the event, which is subject to approval from the WICB, the ICC and its official broadcast network ESPN Star Sports.

“The members recognise the potential benefits of the event for the development of cricket in the West Indies,” Speed said.

“At the same time they wish to ensure that their participation in any event such as this will benefit as many of the game's stakeholders as possible to help facilitate its continuing strong growth.

“The key is to achieve a result that is in the best interests of the game as a whole and, to that end, discussions will continue ahead of the ICC Board's next meeting, in Dubai in late October.”—Reuters