Gayle to lead Stanford Superstars

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, will lead the Stanford Superstars in the Stanford Super Series, which includes the US$20 million match against England on November 1 in Antigua. Sylvester Joseph, the Antigua and Barbuda captain, will be Gayle's deputy as the Superstars vie for the richest prize in cricket.

"Our selection panel gave much thought to this selection and deliberated extensively and there was consensus that Chris is the man for the job," Viv Richards, the chairman of the Superstars' selection panel, said. "He's an experienced international cricketer, possesses a cool head and is the best man for the job in this all important match.

"Additionally the selection of Joseph who has been touted as one of the better leaders in the region pays compliments to Chris' leadership and it is also good to have a new and refreshing face in the deputy position."

Gayle has led West Indies in five Tests, 19 ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals. He is also the only batsman to score a century in a Twenty20 international - against South Africa in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 last year. Joseph has played five Tests and 13 ODIs, but last represented West Indies during the tour of England in 2007.

Allrounder Dwayne Bravo, who has been vice-captain to Gayle in recent internationals, will miss the game after he underwent an ankle injury. The 17-man squad also includes two of West Indies' most experienced players in Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

The clash between the Stanford Superstars and England is the first of five annual matches, with a total prize of US$100m. The prize money will be shared as follows: $1m each for players on the winning team, $1m to be shared between the reserve players and $1m between the support staff. The West Indies and England boards would each receive $3.5m.

The Superstars will play two warm-up games during the Stanford Super Series, on October 25 and 30, before facing England.

Stanford Superstars squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Sylvester Joseph, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Lennox Cush, Travis Dowlin, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Chad Hampson, Lindon James (wk), Dave Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, Daren Powell, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor.