England bullish over Stanford compromise

England's players have been told that the Stanford 20/20 for 20 match will go ahead, despite yesterday's ruling against the West Indies Cricket Board.

While there have been doubts over the future of the US$20 million game, Digicel, the board's sponsor, and the Stanford organisers are believed to be in talks to resolve the stand-off over commercial rights for the match.

The BBC website reported that Stanford was certain that the game would happen but sources close to Digicel told Cricinfo that there were several issues to be overcome and that while it was in the interests of both parties to find a solution, nothing could be taken for granted.

The England players, meanwhile, were given reassurance by the Professional Cricketers' Association that the match was going ahead.

"It's a matter between the West Indies Cricket Board and Digicel and I'm sure that everybody is seeking to find a sensible solution to enable this very dramatic and extremely exciting game of cricket to go ahead," Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, said.