June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

LONDON, June 11: England cricketers will take part in some of the richest matches in sport after it was announced on Wednesday they would be playing a series of 20 million dollar winner-takes all Twenty20 clashes in the Caribbean.

The matches are being bankrolled by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, the man behind the domestic Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies.

Starting on Nov 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 said.

Stanford, who described the matches as offering the richest team prize for a single sporting match, added: “The Stanford Twenty20 for 20 (million dollars) will be a highly anticipated event, not just because of the prize money, but because of the traditional friendly rivalry that exists between England and the West Indies.”

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 remainder will be divided between the ECB and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

—AFP