Stanford's $5 million bonanza scrapped

The $5 million winner-takes-all Stanford 20/20 SuperStar game between West Indies and South Africa due to be played on November 10 has been cancelled.

The decision was made almost inevitable once the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused to amend the itinerary for the forthcoming West Indies tour to allow leading players to take part in the Stanford match.

"To say I am disappointed is an understatement," admitted Allen Stanford, the Texas-based millionaire who is the main organiser behind Stanford 20/20. "We are frustrated at the turn of events, especially in light of the fact that the date for the Stanford Super Star Match was approved by both the WICB and the ICC from January 2006. However, we have always said that we would not do anything which conflicts with, or compromises West Indies cricket and so we have decided that it is in the best interest of everyone involved, especially the players, that we cancel the Super Star Match."

Perhaps the most disappointing fact about the cancellation is that the West Indies tour to Pakistan was not finalised until August, more than two months after the agreement with South Africa for the November match was confirmed. The West Indies board informed Stanford that an application had been submitted to the PCB to delay the start of the tour so that the conflict could be resolved. The PCB was unable to accommodate the request.

In a last ditch effort to salvage the match, Stanford asked if the WICB could provide the names of those players that would be on the team to Pakistan so that a side could be selected out of those not going on the tour, but a spokesman for Stanford said this was also "not accommodated by the WICB leaving no alternative but cancellation".

Some of the players training at the Super Star team camp would be a natural choice for the Pakistan tour. "We did not want to put these players in a position where they would have to choose between our event and playing for the West Indies," explained Stanford. "This would be unfair to them, and one of our goals has always been to foster the positive and successful development of our athletes."

The Super Star camp began in Antigua on August 23 and yesterday Stanford himself gave the news to the players via teleconference. "I am very, very hurt and disappointed," said Pedro Collins. "I wish that things like this could be resolved amicably in future. Playing against South Africa would have been a great opportunity for the young players to establish themselves in world cricket."

The Stanford 20/20 board will meet on Monday in Antigua where the future of the Stanford 20/20 programme will be discussed.