Australia to consider Stanford Twenty20 proposal

Cricket Australia has confirmed it would consider a proposal by Allen Stanford to participate in the $23 million Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies next year. The tournament though is yet to be approved by the ICC, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) or ESPN, which has a broadcast agreement with the ICC.

According to the ICC's Future Tours Programme, Australia need to complete a Test and ODI series in the Caribbean by June 30, 2008. "Were the West Indies Cricket Board to reach an accommodation on a Twenty20 tournament with the ICC and they were in a position to supply us with more specific detail on any Twenty20 tournament, then we'd be happy to consider it," a Cricket Australia spokesman told The Age. "And that would be on the understanding that we need to move on to our next commitment on the Future Tours programme out of the Caribbean by June 30."

The Australian reported Stanford had approached Australia last year for a week-long Twenty20 knockout also involving India, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The winners would then take on the Stanford Super Stars, a West Indian XI consisting of the best players in the inter-island domestic Twenty20 tournament. The West Indies board met the ICC last week to discuss the event and the issues of payment and the countries involved.