Date:10/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/10/stories/2008101055022300.htm

Sport - Cricket

Stanford T20 match under threat

LONDON: The $20 million Twenty20 Stanford cricket match between England and an all-star West Indies team could be in doubt after the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) lost a High Court case against sponsor Digicel, the BBC had reported on Tuesday.

The WICB will now have to withdraw its sanction for the lucrative match in Antigua on November 1, which includes $1 million in prize money to each player on the winning team.

This could mean the game going ahead without any centrally contracted West Indies players, or being called off altogether.

Digicel had sponsorship rights for all West Indies cricket matches but was frozen out when Texan billionaire Allen Stanford set up his big-money series, which included a $20 million challenge match for each of the next five years.

Digicel demanded sponsorship and branding rights and a High Court arbitration hearing in London found in its favour and against the WICB.

www.cricinfo.com reported that behind the scenes negotiations were believed to be taking place between all interested parties in a bid to save the game. — Agencies